A Heart of Stars
by xxTheNightmareBeforexx
Summary: All she wanted was to find her dragon and ask why he left. Never did Lucy think she would find the pink haired boy who would change her life forever at Hargeon port, join the guild she admired, or ever regain the family she longed for. As the Celestial Dragon Slayer she felt that her heart was as unattainable as the stars, but maybe Natsu Dragneel could change that.
1. Chapter 1

_**IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!**_

* * *

~3rd Person P.O.V~

"Lu? What's wrong?" A silver exceed questioned as she flew around her mistresses head. "Nothing, just awaiting the inevitable." Lucy groaned slightly as her enhanced hearing picked up distant, high pitched, girlish screams. "Well you got the gate key you wanted, saved 1,000 jewel on it too! You upset cause' you have to ride the train again?" The cat prodded. "You'll see Saiya, you'll see." Lucy shook her head as she pushed onward, flinching as the screams grew louder and closer.

 _ **"Salamander you're so dreamy!"**_

 _ **"Please marry me!"**_

 _ **"We love you!"**_

"The blonds eye twitched as she came increasingly closer to the swarming crowd of screaming fan-girls, fighting the urge not to claw out her eardrums so she couldn't hear their incessant cries any longer. "Cover your ears." Lucy said to her exceed as she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and braced herself for what was to come. Holding her precious companion to her chest, Lucy began to make her way to the hell on earth before her. "I'll pray for our survival, Lucy!" Saiya dramatically cried as she squeezed her sky blue eyes shut and gripped onto the material of the blonds cloak with her tiny paws. Meanwhile, Lucy found herself with an internal battle; while she knew if would be wrong, and downright cruel, to punch the living daylights out of the girls that were currently elbowing her and shoving her -not to mention those deadly claws known as their nails- she struggled not to pay them back for the bruises she would most likely have, had it not been for her rigorous training and enhanced durability.

"I'm having a party on my yacht later tonight, I'd love it if all you gorgeous ladies could make it." 'Salamander' winked causing the crowd to swoon, excluding Saiya and Lucy of course. The blue haired fire mage practically fainted as Lucy walked past him without so much as a glance. Even if it was one of utter disgust or annoyance, it would suffice! But she didn't, and the 'Salamander' was not one to be ignored. "And who might you be?" He questioned as he not to gently caught the cloaked girl by her wrist. "Its awfully hot to be wearing a cloak in this weather, don't you think? Please, show me that pretty face of yours." 'Salamander' purred as he moved to pull Lucy's hood down. "Get your filthy hands off of me you pedophile." The blond hissed as she yanked her hand away from the mans grasp. "Pedophile?!" The fire mage gasped as all color drained from his face.

"Igneel! Igneel! I've been looking all over -who the hell are you?" Natsu deadpanned as he broke through the mosh-pit of women and saw the blue haired man. "Why, I'm the one and only Salamander! Now scram kid, you're making me look bad." 'Salamander' coughed the last part of his statement before regaining his 'suave' attitude. "About my yacht," He continued causing Lucy to scoff in distaste. "Does this guy even hear himself? I thought the Salamander was a great fire mage, not a total creep and womanizer." She said rather to herself before finally emerging from the pool of desperation. "That's too bad. That Salamander guy was a total letdown." Saiya shook her head in disbelief. "That, right there, just proved that you never listen to rumors." Lucy sighed as she pulled the hook of her cloak down.

"Hey! You dropped this!" Natsu yelled as he chased after the blond and her exceed. "My necklace!" The silver cat gasped as she hastily flew over to the pinkette and snatched the said object from his hands. It was a small silver pendant with the initials 'L.S'*on the center, attached to a chain that could be adjusted to fit around her neck. After reattaching the jewelry to her body, Saiya flew back over to Lucy and sat down on her shoulder. Said blond was currently looking at Natsu and his partner from the corners of her eyes as the name he previously yelled echoed through her mind. 'Where have I heard that name?' She asked herself as she clenched her fists.

Natsu's eyes widened as the girl turned around without so much as a thank you and began to make her way back out to the main streets. "Natsu? What are you doing?" Happy asked in confusion as the pinkette suddenly dove behind a trash can and watched the girl move from a crouched position. Not even bothering to answer his partners question, Natsu got up and chased after the blond each time she moved, hiding poorly behind cover that was smaller than himself. "Does he think we're stupid?" Saiya giggled as she spotted the boy hiding behind a light pole on the side of the road. "If anyone's an idiot its him." Lucy smirked before turning another corner. Afraid he'd loose his target, Natsu bolted forward only to skid to a stop as he moved to turn the corner. "There Lucy stood in all of her glory, arms crossed over her chest, as she looked up at the boy with an unimpressed expression. "First off, hiding behind something doesn't mean I can't see you; especially if you're bigger than the object you choose." The blond began. "And secondly, I would be able to hear your stomach growling from a mile away. Are you stupid or something?" Lucy snorted.

Her smirk fell and a small frown took its place as Natsu didn't respond and instead stared intently at her face. Now that he had a good look at her, up close, Natsu concluded that the girl before him was beautiful. His guild mates always called him an idiot, he had his moments, but he wasn't blind nor ignorant to feminine charm. Her blond hair, which had a gold touch to it, was pulled back in a messy ponytail that only added to her wild persona. A few strands of her glossy hair remained down and free from its style and effectively framed her face. With plump pink lips and the perfect complexion, defined cheekbones, full lashes and beautiful eyes; she looked like the definition of perfection. And her eyes, oh her eyes, were a beautiful shade of chocolate brown with golden specks swimming in her brown hues. Looks weren't everything, this he knew, but the blond before him was beautiful in her own way. She wasn't a gentle pretty like Mirajaine, who gave off a soft friendly look. Nor a hard beauty like Erza, who was more like a fierce warrior. No, she was a mixture of the two.

Natsu snapped out of his daze as the black and white cloak vanished from her body, Lucy unknowingly complying to his inner wishes as he could now see her entire appearance. Her upper torso was covered by a skintight black shirt that had sleeves that extended to her forearms while the bottom of the shirt ended just below her ribs and extended her lower stomach and back for the naked eye to see. A pair of brown boots adorned her feet and black leggings the rest of her lower half, accompanied by a belt of gold, blue, and orange dragon scales around her waist. She reminded him of a treasure hunter, in a way, but Natsu decided she fit the look.

"That guy was almost as creepy as the 'Salamander' we met. He was staring at you hard, Lu." Saiya snickered as she and Lucy left Natsu and his blue cat behind. "Natsu? Why are we still following these strangers?" Happy whined. "I know her from somewhere." Natsu murmured as his feet began to move on their own.

* * *

"A booth, please." Lucy said to her waitress after entering a small diner. "Of course. Please follow me, Miss." The brunette smiled as she led her customer to her desired location. "I'll take everything I can get with this." Lucy explained before the girl could begin to ask her what she wanted, dropping a pouch of coins into her hand as she did so. "R-right. I'll have your food out as soon as its ready." Her waitress coughed before scurrying away. The blond let out a breath of relief as she relaxed into the chair and got the much needed rest her body required after three straight days of traveling. "Saiya?" "Yes Lucy?" The exceed looked up at her mistress, who's eyes were shut as she leaned into the comfy cushions of the booth. "Please tell me that I am wrong, that pink haired stalker and his stupid cat aren't here?" "Sorry Lu. I don't lie." Her partners response made Lucy scrunch up her nose in distaste.

"What do you want 'Pinky'?" Lucy questioned as she popped an eye open to look at her, unwanted, guest. "Do I know you from somewhere?" "You tell me." Lucy immediately shut her eye at the boys own question as the same feeling from before churned in her stomach and made her throat constrict. "Natsu." Said male suddenly blurted out as he offered the girl his hand. "My name." He added as she opened her eyes to gaze at the extended limb. "This is Happy." He gestured to the blue exceed with his free hand. "Lucy. This is Saiya." The blond tilted her head toward her silver companion before hesitantly returning his gesture of kindness. Both parties barely suppressed stunned expressions as their skin touched, bolts of hot electricity surging through their veins upon contact. Lucy and Natsu quickly yanked their hands away from one another, unsure as to whether or not they enjoyed the foreign feeling or not.

The awkward silence was dispelled as the brown haired waitress returned with two carts full of food. "Could I get you anything else?" "No. This will be all, thank you." Lucy shook her head, ignoring the soft 'Oh thank god' she muttered after scurrying away. "Stop pouting and eat already." The blond suddenly snapped as she looked away with a slight blush. "You look even more stupid than you normally do." She added in an attempt to keep up her cold persona facade. "You're weird, Lupy." Natsu laughed before digging into the lunch before him like the beast he really was. "Its Lucy!" She yelled before she began to eat as well. "So what are you two doing in Hargeon?" Happy asked in curiosity, through bites of the fish he was munching on. "Lucy and I are looking for Celestial Gate Keys. We're hoping that if we find all the zodiac we can find her dad!" Saiya explained after gulping down a bite of a strawberry. "Huh? Well what happened to your dad? Why'd he leave?" Happy prodded. "July 7th x777. My dragon, Draco, disappeared. When I woke up he was gone." Lucy stiffly explained as her hand stroked the belt on her waist.

"Eh?! Natsu! That's when Igneel left too! Maybe they're together-!" "No." The blond cut the blue exceed off before he could finish. "Most of the dragons didn't get along, always fighting. He'd never be with anyone else." The pink haired slayers sharp eyes took note of how Lucy clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white. "Tch. I'll crush that stupid old man and show him what happens when you leave without a proper goodbye. And to think he'd always yell at me for my bad manners." The blond said more to herself than to the other three present at the table, a distant and almost sad look forming in her eyes as she did so. "Staring is rude. And try to chew with your mouth shut, you're disgusting." Was the last thing she said before resuming eating. It was only until a small portion of the food was left did Lucy stand up, her exceed following her lead, before they were making their way out of the booth.

"You're leaving?" The boy questioned after he gulped down a large mouthful of food to fill the never ending void, better known as his stomach. "Yes. Consider my debt repaid." "Debt?" Natsu and Happy echoed. "That 'Salamander' was using charm magic. While it didn't have the effect to make me fall head over heels for him, I did feel the distant pull from the magic. Had you not stepped in when you did there's no telling what could have happened." Lucy explained as she ensured that all her keys were safely attached to her belt before her cloak reappeared on her body. "Wait!" Natsu yelped as he grabbed onto the girls wrist. "Will I ever see you again?" The blond kept her eyes pinned forward as she answered, gently pulling her wrist away as she did so.

 _"Only the stars will tell."_

And just like that she left again. For a split second a short memory of a small blond girl flashed through Natsu's mind before he heard Happy's voice. "Natsu? Natsu? Are you ok? You look a bit pale!" "I'm fine Happy! Just hungry!" The boy laughed before resuming his face stuffing, the blonds words echoing through his mind all the while.

* * *

"Lu? Are you sure you're alright? You've been acting weird all day." Saiya said in concern. "Mm." She nodded her head as she shut her eyes and began her walk around Haregon Port. "We're not going to hop on a train straight to Fairy Tail?" She prodded only to continue before Lucy had a chance to respond. "Ne, Lucy~ You liked that boy, didn't you?" Saiya snickered as she flew around Lucy's head. "Don't think I didn't see you blush, either. Or your surprised expression when you touched his hand. You liiike him!" The silver exceed teased. "Unless you want a face full of dirt I suggest you shut it, damn cat." The cat shivered in fear at the sickly sweet smile plastered on the blonds face before she bit her tongue. "Yes ma'm!" She mock saluted. "Saiya, stay close." Lucy suddenly ordered as she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head. "We're being tailed. Fly low or let me carry you." She added before subtly picking up her pace. Saiya eased into her mistresses arms before they disappeared into the busy streets of the marketplace, hiding themselves within the crowd of the customers as they easily escaped their new stalkers. "Is it Natsu and Happy again?"

"No. I think they may be associated with that 'Salamander' guy." Lucy spoke in a hushed tone but loud enough for the exceed to hear her. "I didn't think much of it before because I thought he was just using the charm magic to boost his own ego, but if I'm right and these guys are with the 'Salamander', this could spell trouble." The blond explained as she turned down a corner. "But what else would he be using the charms for?" Her partner asked in confusion. "I'm not sure, but do you remember a few years back, there was a guy who went by the name 'Bora the Prominence'?" "You mean the one from Titan Nose?" Saiya tilted her head to the left as she peered up at Lucy herself. "That's the one. He got kicked out because he was using charm magic to aid in the act of stealing. He looked so familiar too, I just couldn't get a good look at him without being under the threat of being put under his spell."

"But still, Lu. What would the 'Salamander' be doing with _illegal_ magic?" "I don't know, but we're about to find out." Lucy put her hand over her keys as she continued onward. "Libra, you up for some fun?" Said spirits key hummed slightly in response causing the blond to smirk. "Right, here's the plan..."

* * *

"Ah man, the boss is gonna be so angry that we lost the girl!" One of his lackeys cried from his spot on the ground. "D-don't be so worried! W-we can find her before the yacht leaves!" His partner gulped. "Excuse me?" A female voice snapped the two thugs out of their daze before they were met with the sight of the blond herself. "Would you happen to know where a hotel is around here? I'm a bit afraid I'm lost." Lucy innocently questioned as she continued playing the role of the innocent, naive, little girl. "Oh! Yeah! There's one right around the corner!" The thug with black hair and a scar down the left side of his face quickly explained as he jumped up. "Here, you can follow us! We don't bite!" The green haired thug grinned. Lucy flashed them a sweet smile as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I don't doubt that. Lead the way, gentlemen." And as the duo turned their back on the blond, they missed the deadly expression that crossed her features while she clenched her fists by her side.

She'd definitely make them pay for messing with her

"Are you sure this is the right way? This place looks a little... scarce." Lucy asked with her hands behind her back. "Oh yeah, we grew up around this area. Just down this ally is the hotel, a short cut you could say." The black haired man explained as he gestured to the dimly lit space. "Through here?" Lucy batted her eyes at the men as she stepped into the narrow opening of the alleyway. "Yep." They chorused as the blond turned her back to them. Lucy couldn't help but smirk at how perfectly her plan worked out as she spotted Libra on the roof to her left and Saiya high up in the air. "Miss? Are you alright? Why did you stop?" The brown haired man questioned as Lucy suddenly stopped walking. "Who sent you to capture me?" The blond asked as she glanced at the two men from over her shoulder. "P-pardon?" "Why are you following me? Who do you work for?!" She repeated. "So the pretty little blond figured out our plan. To bad you were too late!" They sneered before drawing their swords.

The 'Salamanders' lackeys cried out in pain as a heavy weight was suddenly applied to their backs before they were laying in a deep crater, writhing in pain under Libra's gravity magic. "I'll ask once more. If you don't answer my questions Libra will increase the gravity applied to your bodies. Who sent you?" The two thugs weakly glared up at the blond as she crouched in front of their pained forms. "P-piss off!" One of them choked only to wheeze in pain as the pressure increased tenfold. "A-agh! It was B-Bora!" The second thug cried in pain as he finally confessed. "Bora as in 'Bora the Prominence'?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at them causing the two thugs to flinch in fear. "Y-yes! He sent us to capture you!" "Why?" The blond hissed. "B-Bora! He's been kidnapping w-women! Posing as the Salamander to l-lure them in!" "Where is he?!" "On his yacht! He's p-probably leaving as we speak!"

With a wave of her masters hand Libra cut off her gravity and watched as Lucy took a step back from the thugs. "Listen closely. If I ever see you two doing work like this again, I'll do a lot more than just crush your body with gravity. Got it?" "Yes boss!" They suddenly bowed. "Boss?" Lucy mused as she placed a hand on her hip. "Yes! We shall follow any order you give, boss!" The two thugs vigorously nodded their heads. "What are your names?" "Frederick." The one with black hair answered. "But you can call me 'scar'." He added. "Kyle." The brunette chimed in as he cast his eyes to the ground. "Well, Kyle, Frederick. My name is Lucy, none of this 'boss' business, alright?" Lucy couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Yes Miss Lucy!" "Stay out of trouble, I mean it!" Lucy exclaimed as she ran forward and down the ally. "Our boss sure is pretty." Kyle sighed as he watched the girl run off. "You said it."

"Thanks for the help Libra." Lucy thanked her spirit. "Anytime Lucy-san." Came Libra's simple response before she vanished back to the Spirit World. "Saiya! You can come on down now! We've got work to do!" The slayer yelled up to her exceed as she ran down the dim streets. The sun had set long ago and let the stars come out to play as the blond and her partner weaved in-between houses and whatever people still busied the streets. "What now, Lu?" Saiya asked as she flew after the girl. "I'm gonna show that bastard he made a mistake ever meeting me." Lucy smirked. And as the blond sprinted from one side of Hargeon to the other she couldn't help but think about how eventful her day had really been. She met a weird boy named Natsu and his annoying cat Happy, ate lunch with them, ran away from some thugs; who later on called her their boss, and now she was about to crash a 'party'. However, the effects of her long day, and three days of previous traveling were starting to take a toll on her body. On her journey around Fiore she'd ended up finding the legendary Thirteenth Zodiac Key; Ophiuchus. The blond had to swim to the bottom of a lake to find the key, since Aqarius refused to help her to the bottom. With the addition of Ophiuchus Lucy had contracts with six of the thirteen Zodiac Keys, including; Taurus the Bull, Cancer the Crab, Aquarius the Water Bearer, Libra the Scales, Pisces the Paired Fish, and Ophiuchus the Snake Charmer. She was doing pretty well if she did say so herself.

* * *

"You know, this is something a guild mage would do! Its like you're a member of Fairy Tail already!" Natsu's ears picked up the voice of a familiar silver exceed, followed by her blond friend. "I wish!" And lo' behold the duo revealed themselves. "I'm sure they'll accept you Lu! You're a great mage!" "Hopefully they will, Saiya." The pinkette's heart couldn't help but speed up as he listened in on the two girls conversation. Lucy skidded to a stop in front of a stone railing and pressed her hands flat against the cool material. As she took a deep breath in through her nose, her eyes widened as the scent of cinnamon and firewood smothered her senses, before she was looking to her left at a familiar face. "Hey." Lucy had to remind herself to breathe as he stood up. "Hey." Natsu gulped. "What're you still doing here?" Natsu inquired as he took a step closer to the blond. "Bout' to crash a yacht party." Lucy was surprised she could even muster up the words to speak, considering how suffocated she felt now that he was face to face with her. "Mind if I join?" It was at that moment Natsu became all to aware of how husky and raw his voice came out, something he didn't even intend to do in the first place. His voice sent a shiver down the blonds spine, something his onyx eyes didn't miss, and it almost tore a primal growl from his throat.

"Not at all." Lucy coughed as she tore her eyes away from Natsu's. "You may want to wait here though." The blond advised as she jumped onto the railing. "I'll bring the ship back to port, just be ready to fight." She explained causing him to smirk. "Sure thing." And with that they were off. Saiya flew full speed out to the ocean only to stop halfway through. "Uh oh." Saiya gulped causing Lucy to look up in concern. "Your magic is all up?!" "Sorry!" The blond yanked her exceed into her chest for protection and braced herself for the hard impact that was to come. When her body hit the cool waters below it forced all the air out of her lungs and sent the blond breaking through the surface with a gasp. "Luuccyy! Are you alright -ah!" Said mage sweatdropped as Happy promptly fell into the waters just as she and Saiya had done because of the same problem. "We saw you fall so we wanted to make sure you were alright!" Happy explained. "I'm fine." Lucy shook her head as she yanked a key off of her belt. "Open! Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!" In a flash of blinding light the mermaid spirit appeared with a deadly glare, directed straight for her master.

"Tch. What'd you call me here for, stupid brat?" "Those guys on that boat over there said you were an ugly old lady, incapable of having a boyfriend." The blond swiftly lied. "Did they now?!" Aquarius seethed as her eyes took a red glint, raising her urn over her head before releasing a giant wave with a war cry. Water surrounded Lucy and the exceeds once more before they were back on solid ground coughing up said substance. "I'm the Salamander, member of Fairy Tail! How dare you!" Bora yelled as he emerged from his, now, shipwrecked yacht. "Someone who uses magic power to hurt others." Lucy seethed as Natsu helped her up. "You're the worst kind of wizard alive!" "Boohoo!" Bora sneered. "You claim to be a member of Fairy Tail." Natsu exclaimed as he dropped his bag, Lucy following in his suit and let her cloak disappear. "But I've never seen you before! I won't let anyone dirty the guilds name!"

"Bora! I've seen these two before!" Someone paled. "Don't call me that!" "The white scarf, the belt of scales. That's the Salamander of Fairy Tail and the Ruler of the Stars*!" "Shut up! Prominence Typhoon!" While Natsu simply ate the blue fire Lucy let a golden aura surround her body while she walked straight through the attack. _"Celestial/Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"_ Both slayers yelled at the same time before the two attacks morphed into one. Bora cried out in fear and surprise as the attack hit him and his lackeys, turning them into nothing more than a charred mess. The two attacks did more damage than Lucy and Natsu intended and caused the same nervousness to grip at both mage's gut. "Run!" While Lucy moved to run back down the ally she emerged from, her eyes widened to feel Natsu link his fingers with hers before he was dragging her down the street. "You said you wanted to join Fairy Tail right?" He asked over the sound of thundering footsteps. "Lets go then!" Natsu smiled at the girl from over his shoulder. Meanwhile, two exceeds were flying in the air above the slayer duo and slapped tiny paws over their mouths in an attempt to smother their snickers.

 _"They liiike each-other!"_

And even thought Natsu and Lucy both heard the taunting remark, loud and clear, neither said anything about it. In fact, they only tightened their grip on one another hand's and picked up the pace. Lucy didn't know it then but she had officially signed up for a long string of adventures and hardships. She could only hope what she was doing wasn't going to prove to be a mistake. Who knows, maybe she would open up to the emotional little girl she used to be and would finally drop the cold facade.

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, I'm feeling a bit daring~**_

 _ **Just started one fanfic about a week ago, still have to finish Savior, and now I'm writing another fanfic!**_

 _ **I'll update them all accordingly though so no need to worry~~~~~~**_

 _ ***LS: The initials on Saiya's necklace stand for Lucy x Saiya (in case anyone was confused)**_

 _ **I apologize if there are any grammatical errors; point them out and I will change it~**_

 _ **I think that's about it... I have my last week of band camp tomorrow. I'm so stressed out. Weapon line is killing me :(((((((**_

 _ **Please Favorite, Follow, Review, all that good stuff**_

 _ **GIVEE MEE FEEDBACKKK**_

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

* * *

~3rd Person P.O.V.~

"WE'RE BACK!" Natsu roared as he kicked the guilds doors open. "Mira! Get the stamp ready!" The pink haired boy grinned as he pulled Lucy over to the bar. "Oh? Have a new recruit do you Natsu?" The silver hair barmaid giggled as she pulled said stamp out. "Two actually." He nodded his head. "What color and where?" Mirajaine smiled. "My names Saiya! Can I have my mark in gold, on my back?" The silver exceed asked in pure excitement as she landed on the counter top of the bar. "Of course!" After getting her stamp Saiya flashed it to Happy, who in turn showed her his own guild mark. "And you?" Mira turned her gaze to the blond and had trouble holding back a devious smile as she spotted her hands linked with a certain fire dragon slayers. "Lucy, and uh, surprise me." All to eager, Mira snatched up Lucy's right hand and pressed the stamp to her skin. "Perfect. Don't you think so Natsu?" The woman asked as she revealed the pink mark. "Yep!"

"So the idiot flame brain finally returned? And with a little girlfriend too?" A certain ice mage sneered from behind both slayers. "She's a holder mage though, such a shame. Of course a strong girl would never get with someone like you. All she's good for is being pretty." Gray smirked. "What did you just say?" Lucy all but growled as she turned around to face the raven haired male. "Hit a nerve, did I?" His expression turned smug as Lucy's anger became evident on her face. "Or perhaps you're just embarrassed because you know what I'm saying is true?" Gray only added fuel to the fire as Lucy's eyes began to burn with a bright golden hue after releasing the hold Natsu had on her hand. "Are you lookin' for a fight _stripper_?" By then all of the guild was interested in the scene playing out before them. "And if I am?" Gray challenged. "This could be bad.." Saiya frowned as she hid behind Mira's shoulder. "How so?" The barmaid asked in confusion. "Lucy hates it when people insult her spirits because they're more than that to her. Her keys are all she has, they're the only family she has left." The exceed explained as her frown deepened.

"Lucy protects her family at all costs, even if its just their pride." Tension rose thick as Lucy took a step toward the raven haired mage while she narrowed her eyes into a deadly glare. "Listen up you ugly little boy. Say one more nasty thing about my family and I'll end you." The blond snarled exposing her sharp canines. "Your. Spirits. Can't. Do. Anything." The next thing Gray knew he was launched into the wall on the other side of the guild by a giant, talking, bull. "Miss Luuccy you're lookin' mighty fine this morning." "Why thank you Taurus." Lucy smiled fondly up at her spirit. "Ice Make: Hammer!" "Celestial Dragon Star Shield!" Everyone's eyes widened as the hammer of ice shattered upon contact with the golden shield. "Celestial Dragon Iron Fist!" Gray's eyes widened as he barely dodged the girls fist, which made a wooden chair blow up into hundreds of pieces before a small cut formed on his face from where the bulls axe managed to nick his skin. "Yeah! Fighting's a man!" Elfman suddenly yelled as he punched a guild mate in the head. Lucy ducked to avoid Gray's retaliation kick, while it ended up sending Natsu crashing into Elfman who fell on top of Loke. Next thing anyone knew, an all out guild brawl was going on.

"Maybe," Gray began as he wiped some blood away from the corner of his lip. "I was wrong-" "Damn right you were, stupid stripper!" The blond scoffed as she kicked Nabs body away from hers. "I'm trying to say I'm sorry!" The male responded as he punched Reedus away before he could crash into the new girl. One of Cana's cards blew Lucy backward before she landed in Natsu's arms as he jumped into the air to avoid Bisca's bullets. "YOU BRATS BETTER STOP FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!" A voice boomed causing Natsu and Lucy to slap hands over their ears in pain. "You wimps! Looks like we won this one Luce!" Natsu laughed, completely unaware of the large foot that loomed over his and Lucy's body. Animal instincts seemed to kick in before Lucy swiped Natsu's feet out from under him and raised her arms above her head so her forearms faced the ceiling. The blond was forced down onto one leg as Makarov's foot crashed down on her arms. Everyone's widened more as the girl had easily prevented not only herself, but Natsu as well, from being crushed by the Masters giant foot.

"M-move already Natsu!" Lucy panted as she struggled to keep up her pushing. At the last second Taurus yanked both Natsu and his key owner backward before they could be fully crushed by Makarov's foot. "I'll be going now Miss Luucy." Was the last thing her spirit said before returning to his home. Levy gasped as she spotted the golden scales on the girls arms only for them to disappear as fast as they came. "It can't be.." The blunette murmured. "Well, well," Makarov's voice boomed as he loomed over Lucy's body. "If it isn't little Lucy?" The old man chuckled as he reverted to his small form. "T'sup, old man Makarov?" Lucy blinked as she placed her hands on her hips and bent over so she loomed over his body instead. "That bastard Guildarts here?" The girl suddenly questioned causing Master Makarov to chuckle. "No Lucy, Guildarts is not present." He shook his head.

"Master Makarov?" Levy's voice forced all eyes on the girls small body. "Is she **_that_ ** mage?" The blunette asked without hesitation and genuine curiosity. "And which mage would you be referring to, Levy?" Makarov had trouble holding back a mischievous smirk. "The so called, **_Ruler of the Stars?_** " "The what?" Natsu asked, completely clueless. "There is a mage rumored to wield the ultimate magic of the stars. She destroyed hundreds of dark guilds at a young age and was offered a spot with the Wizard Saints. They say this mage commands the stars to do her bidding. She's rarely ever been defeated, only once by Guildarts in fact." She explained as she eyed the blond up. "Is she, Master?" Levy repeated. "Lucy-?" "Are you really that strong?!" Romeo butted in as he pushed his way through the crowd. "My dad, Macao, he took a mission on Mount Hakobe a week ago! He said he'd be back within three days! No one will go after him!" The young boy said as tears began to form in his eyes. "Now Romeo, how many times do I have to tell you? Your fathers a wizard, you need not worry about him!"

"You said he took a mission on Mt. Hakobe?" Lucy asked as she crossed her arms. "Y-yes!" He hiccuped as his tears ran free. Romeo's eyes widened as the girl suddenly flicked him between his eyes before stepping around his body. "You look ugly when you cry so cut it out. I'll bring your dad back." Was the only thing the blond said as she weaved her way through the crowd.

 _"OH? YOU'RE NOT CRYING, ARE YOU?! PUNY BRAT! WIPE THOSE FILTHY TEARS! YOU LOOK UGLY WHEN YOU CRY! I'LL BE YOUR FAMILY!"_

* * *

"Still following me, I see, Natsu." The girl sighed as she heard his familiar footsteps over the sound of Magnolia's busy streets. "I'm coming with you." Came his simple response as he fell into step with the blond. And as they walked Natsu couldn't help but watch her from the corner of his eyes. It was almost scary how easy it was to read her; body tensed in anger, eyes darkened with emotion, her shoulders hunched forward. It was easy to tell she was more than upset. "Don't mind Lucy, she's probably thinking about Draco." Saiya's voice snapped the boy out of his thoughts. "You have to understand, Draco is the only good thing that's ever happened to Lucy. She doesn't like it when she see's someone upset over being alone since she knows how it feels so well." "I understand." Natsu nodded his head as he recalled the feeling quite well.

 _"You're a dragons daughter so stop your whining and get up. You don't have to worry about being alone anymore."_

Lucy burst out into a sprint, much to Natsu's surprise, before the boy was chasing after her. It felt as if they'd ran for miles, having passed the lively Magnolia streets and instead made it to the outskirts of town. The blond quickly made her way over to a man who was leaning against his carriage, looking up from the ground as he saw the girl come up in his side vision. "Can you bring us up to Mount Hakobe?" Lucy panted as she struggled to catch her breath from all the vigorous running she'd previously done. "Luckily for you I'm headed up that way. Hop in the back." The old man grinned before tipping his hat at the two teens. As soon as Natsu even stepped into the mode of transportation his skin became clammy and his face green. Lucy simply leaned her elbows against her knees and cradled her face in her hands. "You get motion sick too Lucy?" Happy laughed as his eyes landed on the girl.

"If I throw up, its gonna be on you, damn cat." Lucy spat only to groan as the carriage began to move. That's how most of the ride went, Happy teasing Lucy and Lucy about god knows what, Saiya laughing along with her blue companion, while the two slayers themselves could only groan and gag at every little bump. A sudden jerk of the carriage sent both mage's tumbling onto the floor into a tangled mess of limbs. "Sorry bout' that!" Their driver apologized in the midst of the accident. Lucy could have sworn she had never felt so tense in her entire life as she laid with her legs tangled with Natsu's and her face buried in his warm chest. His scent smothered her senses and for the first time ever, the blond wasn't nauseous while traveling. For Natsu it was the same way. Lucy's vanilla and strawberry tinted scent made his body feel warm, as if he had just eaten the best fire he'd ever had in his life. His motion sickness dispelled as he buried his face into her silky smooth hair and took a deep whiff of her smell, something that roused a burning heat on the girls face, especially so when he wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her body in closer.

"They're weird." Happy laughed as he spotted both slayers on the floor. "Lucy's always been a weird one. Blame it on her Dragon, he was craazy." Saiya giggled. "Look at how big my fish is!" "Whoa!" -of course those two would get off topic. "This is as far as I can take you." Their driver exclaimed as he pulled his vehicle to a stop. While both exceeds flew out of the carriage in record speed, Natsu and Lucy staid entangled on the ground. "I can't move if you don't let go." Lucy spoke against his skin. "I know." Natsu's voice was muffled due to the fact that his face was still buried in her hair. "Then why won't you let go?" Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper. "Don't know." He whispered back. "Lushy move! Your fatness is suffocating Natsu!" Happy cried as he pulled at the back of the girls shirt. "What'd you say about me?!" Needless to say, Lucy and Natsu finally broke away from their intimate hold on one another.

"Its c-c-cold!" Saiya chattered against the harsh winds. "Damn straight." Lucy agreed as her cloak reappeared on her body. "How can you do that?" "Requip. A friend taught me it." Lucy shrugged her shoulders as Saiya moved under the confines of the cloak to keep warm, only her head popping out just below Lucy's chin. "She gave me this cloak, in fact. Its infused with magic to protect its wearer against nature and any sort of attacks." The blond added as she pulled the hood over her head. "Saiya, do your thing." "On it~" The exceeds eyes suddenly began to glow a bright blue before her eyes darted around. "Saiya can detect magical currents. Wherever Macao is, she'll find him. It may be a bit hard with this blizzard though.." Lucy trailed off as she narrowed her eyes at the sky. "I need to get closer to the mountain Lu." The silver cat said causing the blond to sigh slightly. "Of course you do."

* * *

"Macao! Macao! Where are you?!" Natsu cupped his hands over his mouth as he called out for the missing mage. "Any signs of him Saiya?" Lucy questioned as she trudged on through the snowy mess before her. "Sorry." The cat shook her head. "Don't strain yourself. You passing out won't be doing us any good." The girl commented in concern for her loyal friend. "I know." She responded. "Above us!" The exceed suddenly yelled. Lucy shot forward with a burst of speed and managed to yank Natsu out of the way just before the giant vulcan could crush either of them. "Lucy!" Saiya yelled with wide eyes. "Open! Gate of the Clock: Horologium!" Lucy hopped into the spirits body just before the vulcan could snag her body, grabbing the clockworks form itself instead. "The vulcan is.." The last of Horologium's statement went unheard as the giant monkey ran away with Lucy in tow as he sang about having his own 'Human woman.' "Hey! You get back here!" Natsu growled as he chased after the beast.

"Are you sure Saiya?" "I'm positive!" She said without a doubt. "Alright. Horologium, you can go back to the Spirit World." "Yes Miss Lucy." The clock spoke in a proper tone before disappearing. "Woommaan~" The vulcan cried out in pain as the heel of the blonds boot met his face and sent him crashing into the ground. "Oi," Lucy spoke with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "WHERE'S MACAO YOU MONKEY?!" A certain pinkette screamed as he burst into the ice cave. "You're Macao, aren't you?" She increased the pressure of her foot as she spoke. "Your little boy is waiting for you, drunkard old man. Wake up!" Lucy jumped backward to avoid the creatures crushing grasp, landing just beside Natsu on her fingertips and the tips of her toes. "Listen here you vile creature." Natsu's eyes widened as a dark shadow was cast across the girls face as she rose from the ground. "Some of us would kill to still have our fathers. So you'd best give Macao back, or else." The monkey simply banged its fists on its chest and charged at the girl.

"Celestial Dragon Iron Fist!" Saiya slipped out of the girls cloak just before she shot forward, leaving a crater in her wake. "Give back Macao! Celestial Dragon Wing Attack!" While her attack had managed to send several, sharp, ice-shards down from the ceiling; Lucy skilfully dodged each object and retaliated against the vulcan. "Fire Dragon Claw!" The blond sent a quick glance at her, unwanted, 'partner in crime' to see that stupid grin (-in her opinion) on his face. "Can't let you have all the fun, Luce." "Whatever." She rolled her eyes before sliding to the left to avoid the shards of ice the monkey sent their way. "Bring it on! Fire always beats ice!" The pinkette laughed. "Celestial Dragon Star Surge!" Upon slamming her fist onto the vulcan's chest a golden light shot through its body before the monkey was blasted backward into the wall. "That's enough Lu, any more and you'll kill him." Saiya's voice bounced throughout the cave as the dust cleared

"Macao!" Natsu gaped as he saw the injured man, only to be yanked back by Lucy who held a handful of his scarf in her fist as he tried to run to the mans aid. "Let go! He needs help-!" The pinkette choked on his own words as the icy floor and walls around/under them began to violently shake and tremble. His eyes went wide as a large, inhuman, roar echoed and bounced around the cave before the trembling began again. "I t-think I'm gonna be s-sick!" The boy gagged as he slapped a hand over his mouth. "Saiya! Take Macao and lead Natsu and Happy out of here!" Lucy exclaimed as she eyed the large cracks that began to form on the ground. "But!" "Now!" The blond snapped. At the sound of another roar the icicle's on the ceiling began to fall and portions of the floor began to shatter, revealing a gaping black hole that seemed to have no end. "Go, Saiya!" Lucy repeated as she dodged another icicle. "I could never leave you behind!" The silver exceed cried. Sky blue eyes widened as her masters gaze met hers, a small confident smile grazing her lips. "When have I ever given you a reason to doubt me? I'll make it back for you, for all of you. So go! Now!"

With hesitance, Saiya scooped Macao's injured body up from the ground and turned to face Natsu and Happy. "C'mon!" However everyone found themselves rooted to their spots due to the events that were to come. Lucy swore her heart could have pounded out of her chest when the demonic roaring and extreme shaking seized, as if time itself had stopped completely. "L-Lucy?" Her exceed stuttered in fear. "Lucy. L-lets go." Natsu exclaimed in a low voice, as if he would scare something awake if he spoke any louder, and offered the girl his hand. And like the calm before a storm, everything snapped. Lucy slid backward on the tips of her toes and her fingertips; barely avoiding the various shards of sharp ice that blasted through the air. Both dragon slayers felt as if their ear drums would explode when the same roar from before continued, only this time much louder and all the more deadly.

Blood rushed through Lucy's ears so loudly it seemed to block out any of the surrounding noise. Her heart pounded against her chest in a rythmic pattern while the adrenaline flowing through her veins created a certain high that, almost, replaced all of her fear. Brown eyes narrowed in on a deadly creature of ice while her pupils dilated into large black specks. The creature before her was far more than just deadly. It looked like a sinister creature from the deepest and darkest pits of hell; something that could haunt her in her sleep. While its body consisted of a beautiful glass like blue ice, deadly sharp scales protruded from its back in a curved shape. While its features resembled that of a dragons, it lacked wings and took on more of a snake like body. Steam erupted from the monsters snout before it let out another booming growl, red eyes gleaming in fury as it bared its fangs down at the group before him.

"W-what is that?!" Happy yelped as he hid behind Natsu's head and held onto his shoulders in fear. "I thought it smelt like a Celestial Spirit in here." Lucy said rather to herself but still managed to gain everyone's attention. "The legendary Ice Serpent. I thought you disappeared long ago with the rest of your brothers." The blond added as she narrowed her eyes at the creature. "Natsu. You and Macao need to get out of here." She explained, not once taking her eyes off of the being before her. "Its also commonly referred to as the Ice Dragon. Contrary to its name it does breathe fire, which means it'l eat anything you give out." "But I could just eat the fire-!" "No, you can't. You'd be poisoned because its not the type of fire your body is used to digesting." "Its an 'Ice Fire' Natsu. Your lungs and entire body would freeze if you even got close. Only Lucy can defeat him." Saiya whispered to ensure she wouldn't draw attention to herself or the people surrounding her.

"Oi! Where's Draco?!" Lucy demanded as her eyes took on a golden hue and shimmered under the natural light of the cave. The 'Dragon' released another roar before diving forward, jaws open wide in preparation to either eat the girl hole or spew out its dangerous flames. The blond jumped up at the last second and barely avoided its razor sharp teeth, landing on its back with unstable feet and grabbed at its curved scales for support. A small hiss of pain escaped Lucy's mouth as the action only served to slice her left hand open before her crimson red blood came pouring out of her palm. The metallic scent of the red liquid hit Natsu's nose and sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine before he called out to the blond, "Lucy are you ok?!" The monsters head snapped to the left and zeroed in on Natsu, Macao, and the two exceeds forms before it was lunging toward them.

Its head was roughly yanked upward after a brown whip coiled around its snout and sent its head crashing into the ceiling. "Celestial Dragon Claw!" The Serpent let out a loud howl at the attack and thrashed its head around, bashing it into the walls and the ground. More portions of the floor began to fall and Lucy knew her time was quickly running short; she had to finish this, now. **_"For thou that has wandered into the path of darkness, I bring you your new light. I am your new Master, Lucy. I bind thee, Ice Serpent, to my side. Forced gate closure of the Ice Dragon!"*_** An audible gasp ripped through Lucy's mouth after she finished the incantation as she felt every ounce of power, and then some, leave her body. Her magic ripped through her body and wrapped around the serpent like a golden blanket. In a bright flash of light the blue monster disappeared and left nothing in its trace except for one blue key that floated in the air, before that too vanished as well.

Meanwhile, Lucy was flying through the air and toward the bottomless pit below her with no energy to move whatsoever. Natsu shot forward out of panic and barely caught the girl, catching her in a bridal style position. He quickly jumped off of what little floor there was left and landed safely next to Macao, Happy, and Saiya. "Lucy! Are you ok?!" Saiya gasped as she flew over to her partners side only to get soft snores in response. "Only a weirdo would pass out before a battle is finished." Natsu grinned as he looked down at her sleeping face. "Eh?! How can you carry her Natsu?! Lucy looks like she weighs a ton!" Happy gasped. "Nah, she's pretty light, actually. Can you and Saiya get Macao? We need to get back to the guild so he can get checked up." "Aye sir!" Both exceeds chorused, much to the males amusement.

* * *

"Luce, wake up. I can't feel my arms." Natsu whispered as he attempted to shake the girl awake. "Its no use Natsu. That spell Lucy performed takes a lot out of her, I wouldn't be surprised if she slept all night and all day tomorrow." Saiya explained causing the boy to frown slightly. "Just what exactly did she do? How'd that thing disappear like that?" Natsu questioned. "Well, hundreds of thousands of years ago, when magic was still being invented, there was an ancient art of channeling lost spirits into keys for summoning. There have only been a few who have actually mastered the art and survived to tell the tale. While it seems like a simple task, to bind a spirit to an object takes not only a certain amount of magic from the user itself, but also the magic in the earth and its surroundings. The caster has to have ample magic within themselves but also the ability to channel the magic around them."

"I don't, uh, really follow you." Natsu chuckled uneasily through his confusion. "Let me put it into simpler terms. You know how a wizard has a certain amount of magic within them?" "Yeah." The pinkette nodded his head. "Well Lucy's is pretty big because she has two types of magic. So she used every ounce of magic energy inside of her body, even what she had in reserve, to bind the Ice Serpent to a key. But to make the key she had to channel the magic around her while she bound the spirit, at the same time. To channel magic that isn't yours is mentally taxing, wizards have gone insane doing it before, while the large use off her own magic made her physically weak. To rebuild both her physical and mental strength she has to sleep it off." "Oh. I get it!" Natsu laughed. "Dad!" A distant voice gasped. "Hey son-" "I can take it! I can take it because I'm a wizards son!" Romeo cried. "You ask those kids if their fathers can defeat 19 vulcan's on their own!"* "Y-yes sir!" While Romeo and his father reunited, Natsu walked off into the distance with Lucy in his arms. "Natsu! Lucy! Happy! Saiya!" The young boy yelled as the group of four walked off. "Thanks for bringing my dad back!"

"Natsu? Lucy's house isn't this way." A certain silver exceed commented. "I'm bringing her to the guild. She needs that hand checked out." The boy responded as said building could be seen at the end of the street. Just as he had done that morning Natsu kicked the large wooden doors open only this time with less joy. He seemed to have a conflicted expression on his face, in fact. "What's wrong with you flame brain? You look constipated like that." Gray snorted. "Shut up Gray. Now's not the time." Natsu snapped as he stormed past the raven haired ice mage. "Mira! I need you to look at Lucy's hand. She cut it." He exclaimed after gently setting the girl down in a seat. "Oh? That's not good. What happened?" The barmaid asked in concern. "Well this huugge dragon came out of nowhere and Lucy took it out on her own...!"

 _And that was how the rumor of Lucy's immense strength spread; all because of Natsu's exaggerated explanation of what really happened on Mount Hakobe._

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE ):**_

 _ **I just recently finished Band Camp and was feeling really tired; I didn't have the energy to put out a good chapter and I didn't want to publish something I wouldn't have time to really focus on.**_

 _ **I was going to originally follow what happened in this episode (Natsu defeats the vulcan, saves Macao, and heads back home) but I wanted to spice it up a bit with my own twist to the ending.**_

 ** _-I'm pretty sure that's how you spell Horologium (?) If not let me know and I'll go back and change it thanks 3_**

 ** _*The incantation Lucy performed will be explained better later on (as well as the Ice Serpant/Dragon)_**

 ** _*The conversation that happens between Natsu and Macao (where Natsu explains he should be proud he defeated 19/20 vulcans) happened while Lucy was sleeping._**

 _ **I apologize for any grammatical errors.**_

 _ **THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS/FAVORITES/FOLLOWS!**_

 _ **^Pls do that if you haven't already**_

 _ **~xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_

 _ **p.s. you should check out the other things I've written, ok thanks byeee**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

* * *

 _~3rd Person P.O.V~_

True to Saiya's word, Lucy slept soundlessly through the night, and the next day; followed by an extra three days without wake. And to say the guild was slightly concerned would be an understatement. Even if the blond was new to the guild, everyone felt as if she was meant to be a member of their large family, _that she belonged there_. Romeo refused to leave her side at the infirmary, Mirajaine demanded that Lucy was moved into the medical room to be under constant watch, while Macao told old stories of his adventures to the sleeping mage; slipping fragments of the other guild members in as well. "Really though, Lucy, we need you to wake up." The elder fire mage explained as he grabbed handfuls of his pants between his fists. "We all really like you here. And everyone can tell Natsu really cares about you. You have to wake up." Romeo would hold the girls hands in his smaller ones and simply talk to her as if she was awake. Both Conbolt males felt terribly guilty about the blond's condition; feeling as if it were directly their fault that she was so 'injured'.

"Natsu-san!" Romeo gasped as the pink haired slayer burst into the room. "The old man wants Lucy out front so some old lady can check her out." He explained before lifting the girl from the bed. Natsu, personally, couldn't help the frown that pulled at his lips as he looked down at the blond in his arms. Her skin was a shade paler than her normal tan-like skin while small bags slightly drooped under her eyes, her normally golden toned blond hair no longer held its beautiful shimmer and was reduced to a bland sandy yellow. Her lips were no longer a bright, healthy, pink; rather, a pale colorless hue. Lastly, her breathing was so shallow Natsu sometimes struggled to tell if she was even performing the necessary action anymore.

 ** _All because of some spell involving one spirit and a key_**

"How is she?" Mirajaine was the first person to speak and break the deafening silence as Natsu reappeared with Lucy in hand. "She doesn't look too good.." He coughed before gently placing Lucy down on a chair. "She's really cold." Natsu added as he recalled the freezing touch of the girls skin, colder than Gray's himself. A certain female grumbling from outside helped lift the guilds spirits up in hope that Porlyusica would have the power to wake the blond from her, seemingly endless, sleep. "You ignorant fools, calling me all the way out here! This is why I hate humans!" Makarov couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine as the guilds doors were violently thrown open, something that seemed to be happening a lot in the past few days. Porlyusica didn't bother to hold back her wrath and choose to immediately scream; "Well?! Where is the damn broad?! I don't have all day you know!" "She's right here." Mirajaine spoke before Natsu could have an outburst. That would surely cause more trouble than there already was.

The pink haired medic didn't waste any time and got straight to work. She dropped her bag on the wooden table Lucy sat at with an obnoxious 'bang'. The woman swatted her blond hair over her right shoulder and stretched out her ear before leaning in and yelled, at the top of her lungs, "WAKE UP!" Porlusica paused and waited for a reaction, a small sigh escaping her mouth as there was none. Gray and Elfman barely managed to catch Natsu and yank him backward as he lunged to grab the medic when she raised a hand and slapped Lucy clean across her face. "There's nothing I can do. She'll stay asleep forever." Porlyusica stated as she moved to grab her bag. However, she suddenly froze as the air seemed to chill and small cracking sounds began to emit from the blonds body. "Don't touch her!" She quickly snapped as Natsu moved to grab Lucy's hand. Porlyusica began to squint as she studied the girls face for any abnormalities, eyes widening as she spotted the crack like mark on her cheek that was growing in size. Her lips were now a deadly blue and the chair she sat on began to form layers of ice.

The ends of her fine hair also began to freeze while the rest of her body began to turn purple and blue from frost bite. The entirety of Lucy's left arm turned crystallized in a thick layer of clear ice and only served to make the guild more upset and fearful. "Lucy!" Saiya cried as tears began to swell in her blue eyes. "Porlyusica, what's going on?" Makarov demanded as he hopped up from his spot at the bar in concern. "I don't know! This isn't like anything I've ever heard of! Unless.." "Unless?" "Has this girl performed any large spells recently? Particularly dangerous? Something that requires large amounts of magic?" Everyone felt their eyes widen in realization. "Lucy, she bound a spirit to a key mid-battle." Fairy Tail's guild master answered. "That's impossible!" Porlyusica gasped before she was watching Lucy with wide eyes. "P-please! You have to do something!" Saiya sobbed to the woman. "T-there's nothing I can do about this." The pink haired medic shook her head. "You'll freeze if you touch her. Nothing can be done-" "So you'd just give up like that?!" Natsu roared as he gave Porlyusica the deadliest glare she'd ever seen.

"Lucy is all Saiya has! You can't just leave her to _die_! Besides, she never found Draco!" "What do you expect me to do?! Not everyone can be saved!" Porlyusica fired back. "Lucy is a guild mate! She's family! We would never stop helping her-!" Everyone's eyes widened as Lucy's body suddenly shattered into thousands of pieces, turning to nothing more than a pile of ice. But before anyone could even consider mourning over her 'death', a bright light began to emit from the ceiling. A familiar black and white cloak blended into the guilds sight alongside the jingling of keys as the cloaked figure fell straight into the wooden table where Porlyusica and Natsu stood. _"Damn that hurt."_ Lucy's melodic voice groaned as she rose from the, now broken, table; dusting specks of wood and dirt off as she did so. Time seemed to flow in slow motion as a hand with a pink guild mark reached up to pull the hood of their cloak down, revealing golden blond hair and plump lips pulled back in a small grimace. Brown eyes with golden specks shimmered with their usual fierceness and a sharp tongue fired; "Tch. The bastard just had to drop me from up high!"

"Lucy!" The blond turned around with flushed cheeks, probably from the cold, to face her crying exceed with wide eyes. "Saiya-?" "I was so scared! I thought you were gonna die!" The silver cat sobbed as she buried her face in the girls chest. Now that the guild had a good look at her, goosebumps could be found on her skin and small white snowflakes in her hair; suggesting she'd just returned from somewhere very cold. "Sorry." Lucy murmured as she stroked her exceeds head with one hand and hugged her body with the other. "You stupid brat!" A voice suddenly boomed before Aquarius forced open her gate and materialized next to the blond. She quickly wrapped her arms around her neck and began to strangle her in a headlock as she continued on with her rant. "Did you honestly think you could do that on your own?! You could've died!" Lucy easily broke out of her spirits hold and took a step back to ensure she wouldn't try anything else before responding.

"Well I didn't. What do you care anyways? You don't even like me Aquarius." Her statement only served to rouse the mermaids anger even more. "You're absolutely right I don't like you! You're a stupid little kid who goes around acting like she knows how to do everything! You got a death-wish or something!?" But her spirits response only caused a small, girlish, giggle to escape the girls mouth; something that made all the males blush at its cuteness. "You know, if you're worried about me just say so." Lucy smiled fondly up at her spirit. "Tch. Whatever." Aquarius exclaimed in a haughty tone as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked in the other direction. "I'm going on a date, with my boyfriend. Don't bother me!" The smile fell from the girls face and instead was replaced with an annoyed expression. "If anyone's an idiot its her.." Lucy muttered. "Lu? What happened to you?" Saiya suddenly questioned causing everyone to listen in close for her response.

"Oh. I had to fight that Ice Serpant again because he kept on breaking the key I made." She answered as if it were an everyday thing. "And that whole body of ice was supposed to be a decoy so no one tried to interrupt the battle. _He_ did that all on his own." Lucy shrugged her shoulders before her stomach made a loud belch. "Whoa! Lucy turned into a monster!" Happy gaped as she flew around the girls head. "No, I think Luce is just an animal, Happy." Natsu chimed in. "I'm not an animal!" She protested with a blush. "Yeah, only an idiot like you could think up something like that." Gray smirked as he sided with the blond. Just like that things seemed to click and everything went back to normal. Natsu and Gray's fighting triggered an all out guild brawl and soon everyone was acting like they always did. Mirajaine dragged Lucy off to get some food at the bar while Macao and Romeo followed behind the girl to speak with her.

"Makarov," Porlyusica said as she looked down at the man. "It would be in your best interest to send that girl to come and see me soon. That spell she performed, its not as simple as you'd think. There could be something extremely wrong with her. Keep a close eye on her." She explained in a serious tone. "Of course. I'll be sure to do exactly that." He nodded his head. "Is that all, or was there something else?" Makarov didn't fail to notice how Porlyusica watched the girl from the corner of her eyes as she gathered her things. "Bring her to see me." She repeated to ensure that Makarov understood that it **_had to be done._**

* * *

"No Natsu! Go get your own!" Lucy snapped for what felt like the hundredth time as she slapped the boys hand away from the delicious plate of food Mirajaine made for her. "But Luce! I'm starving!" Natsu whined as he tried to steal a piece of her bacon. "And I am too! Go get your own!" The blond huffed before she took another bite of her buttermilk pancakes. "And you get away too!" She slammed her foot onto Gray's face while she pressed her back against the pinkette's chest to keep them from eating her food. "Oh my." Mirajaine giggled as she watched the trio interact. "I bet you Natsu will get her food first." Wakaba wagered causing Cana to smirk. "Nah. My money's on Lucy keeping them away." The card mage laughed. Reedus chuckled and shook his head as he pulled out his art supplies and began to paint the scene before him. "Please Luce!" "Yeah! Share a little, Lucy!" Gray and Natsu pleaded as they struggled to reach her plate.

"I said no!" Next thing the guild knew, both mage's were chasing Lucy around the guild as she struggled to eat her food while running. "Ah, young love." Mira sighed causing Makarov to laugh. "Maybe with one of them." He nodded his head as he watched Gray ruffle the girls hair as if she were a child, happily munching on her food, while Natsu glared at the ice mage in jealousy. "Say, Lucy. Wanna go on a mission with me?" Gray questioned as he slung an arm around her shoulders in a playful manner. "As if she'd want to go on a mission with a stripper like you!" Natsu yelled as he bashed his head against his 'rivals'. "Oh yeah?!" "Yeah!" "Well?! Which is it Lucy?!" Said girl sweatdropped and sighed as the duo both turned and looked at her, expecting the answer(s) they so desired. "I have to go home and take a shower. I'm not going on a mission with anyone-" "Told ya'!" Natsu smirked in victory. "Maybe some other time, Gray. I'll show you not all holder types are as weak as you expected." Lucy's eyes glittered with mischievousness causing Gray's eyes to mirror hers. "Sure." He nodded his head after running a hand through his raven black hair. "Until then." Lucy waved over her shoulder as Saiya flew next to her.

"You can't go on a mission with Luce." Natsu growled as he glared at Gray in pure hatred. **_"Say's who? I don't see you on a team with her, hot head."_** These words seemed to strike a thought in Natsu's head before he was at the request board with an excited grin. Who said it was against the rules to use someone else's ideas?

* * *

Lucy hummed a small tune as she walked on the edge of the road, balancing on the slightly higher ground next to the clear waters next to her. "Be careful miss! We wouldn't want you to fall in!" Some boaters yelled in concern. "I will, thank you!" She answered with a small smile. "Lu?" "Hm?" Lucy took a deep breath and relished in the clean scenery around her. "Does this mean we'll stay here? Since you already found a place to stay and all?" The silver exceed landed on the girls shoulder and leaned against her head. "I suppose it does." She nodded as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What about when we find Draco? Then what?" The question only made Lucy's smile fall as she began to contemplate on its answer. "I dunno." The slayer sighed. "Do you ever think about why he left?" "All the time, Saiya. All the time." As they rounded on a medium sized, two story, flat the questions stopped and Lucy felt like all the weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I need a shower." -That would surely take her mind off of things.

"I'll be in your room~" Saiya sang as she left the blond behind. "Sure, do whatever." Lucy responded even though the exceed didn't hear her. The blond shut the bathroom door behind her before she dropped her cloak to the ground and her faked expressions. Lucy braced the marble counter top of the sink and leaned forward in pain as her three broken ribs sent her nerves haywire each time she breathed. Small and medium sized gashes adorned her skin here and there followed by purple and blackish bruises, not to mention how exhausted she felt from the lack of magic energy inside of her body. Her knuckles turned white from the hold she held on the counter while her breathing came out in small, pained, pants. After discarding the rest of her clothes to the floor Lucy limped over to the bathtub and turned the faucet on high. Grabbing some medical bath salt from the shelf under the sink, Lucy poured it into the water and eased in. A small hiss sounded from her mouth as the steaming liquid met all of her injuries but she soon submerged herself in the tub.

 _"Leave you? Now why would I ever do that? You are my daughter after all, even if you are an annoying snot nosed brat. Dragons never lie, you know."_

Lucy hold her breath as she allowed her upper torso to sink under the water in an attempt to block out the memories of her father. Its not that she didn't enjoy thinking of him, it was quite the opposite. One of Lucy's favorite past times is recalling all the good, and bad, times with her dragon. But it was like a double edged sword. While they made her smile, it also pained her to know that he up and left one day with no real reason or explanation. Draco had always claimed he would be there for the blond, that he would be her family and then some, yet he left. He claimed that he loved Lucy like the daughter he never had, _yet he left_. Realizing her lungs burned for air, Lucy broke through the surface of the water just enough so she could breathe.

 _"Your name will be Lucy of the Stars. You don't need a real last name because that's where you belong; with me in the stars!"_

She sometimes wondered if that was some sort of clue her father had left behind, a clue to his whereabouts. Was he watching her from the stars? Laughing to himself as he watched her different adventures? Or was he in a different galaxy, exploring on his own as he had promised to do with her so many times. The blond splashed some water on her face before smoothing out her hair, taking a deep breath as she did so as to clear her mind. "Whatever. When I find that old man I'll give him a piece of my mind." She said to herself as she grabbed her shampoo bottle from the shelf. After lathering up her hair Lucy rinsed the strawberry scented shampoo out and replaced it with her conditioner. While she let the substance set the blond washed her body with a bar of soap and simply relaxed for what felt like the first time in ages. Not wanting her skin to prune, Lucy rinsed the conditioner from her hair and pulled up the drain to let the water recede.

After wrapping a fluffy white towel around her body, the blond threw her dirty clothes in a hamper and double-checked that her keys and belt were on the counter. While the bath salt helped heal the majority of her cuts and other small wounds, her ribs still ached every-time she breathed; something that didn't exactly surprise her. As she stepped out of the bathroom Lucy couldn't help but admire her apartment. While it was slightly outdated, mostly in the kitchen, she thought it was a real steal considering the condition it was in. All Lucy really wanted to do was slip into some clothes and fall face first into her comfy mattress, but with the next events that seemed highly unlikely. "Get out." The cold words flew out of her mouth before the blonds brain could even comprehend what she had just said, eyes narrowing in on Natsu and Happy who had utterly trashed her room with clawmarks on the walls and crumbs on the floor. Lucy could only hope neither party had stained her carpet yet..

"That's how you treat your first guests? So mean!" Lucy walked past the pink haired boy without so much as a second glance and headed straight for her dresser. "You have a nice house, Lushy." Happy exclaimed as he dug his claws into the walls, again. "I know. That's why you two need to leave. I don't want any guests." She swiftly responded before heading back to the bathroom. Somehow deep down she knew their leaving was unlikely.

* * *

"What exactly are you doing here?" Lucy groaned after preparing some tea for her unwanted guests. "We wanted to come and check out your new pad!" Natsu laughed. "By the way, I found this stack of papers. What is it-?" The poor boy didn't have time to finish before Lucy snatched her writing from his hands and kicked him halfway across the room. "Nothing you idiot! Drink your tea and get the hell out!" The blond screeched as she quickly shoved the story back into her desk. "You'd kick me over nothing?" Natsu pouted as he rubbed the throbbing bruise on his cheek. "Yeah! I would!" Lucy snapped as she grabbed her face in pain. "H-hey! Are you alright?" Natsu asked with wide eyes before he was rushing over to the girl. "I'm fine." She quickly waved him off and made her way back to the kitchen table. "What was that all about, Lu?" Saiya never failed to ask questions at the right, and wrong, times. "I already said I was fine." Lucy sighed before taking a sip of her tea. "Say, Lucy. Why don't you show me and Happy those weird cow men of yours?" Natsu suggested. "They're called Celestial Spirits." The blond rolled her eyes. "Yeah! Those!" He eagerly nodded his head. "I guess I could show you how to form a contract." Lucy hesitantly agreed. "Could you fetch me my keys from the bathroom?" "Sure thing Lu~"

The silver haired exceed returned in seconds with the golden belt, gently placing it in front of the blond before she took her own spot on the table in anticipation. After taking a deep breath Lucy rose once more and walked to the center of the room with a silver key in her left hand. Little did Natsu know the sight would soon take his breath away. She shut her eyes and placed one hand over her heart as she extended her left hand in front of her, and recited; "I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits, I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate! Open: Gate of the Canis Minor, Nikola!" A small breeze picked up and caused the girls hair to sway slightly as she spoke while the golden specks in her eyes shun under the natural light from outside. "Lucy is so pretty." Saiya said in awe as she summoned the tiny spirit with a certain grace. The blond crouched down in front of the snowman like 'dog' and flipped open to a clean page in her tiny handheld notebook. "Are you free on Mondays?" She asked with a genuine smile. It was a simple process, really. While Natsu could have made a joke on how boring it was to watch or how weird her spirit looked, he instead found himself unable to look at anything other than Lucy.

Her eyes held a rare fondness and her expression seemed carefree. "Now to name you.." She placed her thumb between her lip and slightly bit down on the skin, a habit she picked up on as a child. "Natsu? Did Lucy poison your tea? Your face is red." Happy shamelessly exclaimed as he eyed the pinkette, who's hair matched the shade of his blush. "I got it! Your name will be Plue!" "That's a stupid name." Natsu coughed in an attempt to regain his normal attitude. Lucy scowled at his blunt interruption and sent him a quick glare before engaging the spirit in a tight hug. "I promise to treat you like my family, Plue!" She declared. "As a Celestial Spirit Mage Lucy makes sure that she keeps _all_ of her promises." Saiya explained. "What is he doing?" The pinkette laughed as Plue suddenly began to dance and say something unintelligible. "You're right!" "You can understand him?!" Lucy gaped only to get no answer. "Then its decided." Natsu exclaimed as he too jumped up from his seat. "You'll be the new member to our team!"

"Sorry?" Lucy raised an eye at the offer in surprise. "Will you? Join my team, I mean." He offered her a toothy grin that caused butterflies to swell in her stomach. Lucy had fought on her own for so long it felt odd thinking about having company other than Saiya.

 _"This is... You can't always be alone, Lucy. No matter how strong you are, fighting with those you love, that is true strength."_

Her hand met Natsu's in a signature handshake as she felt excitement swell alongside the butterflies. "Sure!" Brown eyes widened as she felt arms wrap around her waist and a face buried in her hair. "You should get those ribs checked out." Natsu murmured low enough so neither Happy nor Saiya heard him. She wasn't even sure how Natsu even knew about her injuries, but Lucy didn't much care either. His warm embrace, literally, made her skin tingle as she inhaled his addicting scent that made her heart skip a beat. Lucy found herself wrapping her arms around Natsu's back and deepened their hold on one another as she simply relished in the feeling of being embraced by someone. "I picked out our mission already too." Natsu said without letting go of his hold on the girl. "What's it about?" Resisting the urge to snicker, Natsu handed the girl the mission and waited.

"...Looking for blond maids." A deadly calm expression settled on Lucy's face as she slowly curled the mission up in a ball. "Um, Natsu?" Saiya exclaimed as she hid behind a chair. "Yeah?" _**"Run."**_ "Get your ass back here you idiot!" She was gonna teach him what happens when you trick someone like her.

* * *

"Lucy you _have_ to address me as your 'master'!" Happy wailed as he shook the poor blonds shoulders. "I'll barf on you if you don't u-unhand me, damn cat." She hiccuped in response while she mustered up a weak glare. "Natsu! Lucy's being mean again!" The blue exceed whined. "H-Happy? You may want to sit down." Saiya shivered as she recognized the glint in Lucy's eyes. "Huh?" -Natsu had never seen Happy shut up so quickly. A rough jolt from a bump in the road sent Lucy flying straight into Natsu's lap where his firewood scent wrapped around her like a thick blanket. Her nausea quickly died off and fell to the back of her mind, even more so when the pink haired slayer wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body closer to his. Lucy's arms seemed to move on their own for they found themselves wrapped around Natsu's body as well while her face was buried in the crook of his neck. "Why?" The blond suddenly murmured against his skin causing goosebumps to rise. "Why what?" Natsu choked out. "Why'd you ask me to be apart of your team?" Her question forced the boy to draw in a breath as he wasn't absolutely sure himself. "You seem like a nice person and a good addition to the team." He confessed. "Even if you are a weirdo." Natsu added causing the girl to roll her eyes. "You're weirder than me, Natsu." Lucy meekly protested. "Nah. We all know you're the real weirdo here Luce." And his response only served to make the girl smile and her heart swell, rather than make her annoyed and upset.

Maybe she really was weird.

Upon arriving at Shirotsume, Lucy got off of Natsu's lap with much difficulty; seeing as her legs had fallen asleep from the awkward position she had sat in. "See! You really are a weirdo!" Natsu snickered as she struggled to walk, looking as if she had legs of jello. "Shut up!" Lucy scowled as she slowly regained the feeling of her legs. "I'm hungry." "Aren't you always?" Lucy muttered in response to Happy's statement. "Lets eat here! C'mon Luce!" Natsu yelled in excitement as his gaze landed on a nice looking restaurant. "I'm not hungry right now. You guys go on ahead while I look around." The pink haired slayer crossed his arms and frowned as he watched Lucy and her exceed disappear around the corner, disappointment bubbling in his stomach at the thought of **_not_** spending time with the blond and her partner. "We should save all the fatty foods for Lucy so she doesn't get hungry later!" Happy suggested between bites of fish. "Good thinking Happy!" "Aye!"

 _"What's that supposed to mean you mangy feline?"_ A familiar voice hissed accompanied by the sound of footsteps. "Eh-?" Food dropped out of Natsu's mouth as his eyes landed on the oddly dressed blond. Her hair was parted in pigtails while a few strands staid down to frame her face while the rest of her body was covered in a full maids dress. A perfectly polished pair of black Mary Jane's adorned her feet, followed by a pair of white thigh high stockings. A black skirt covered the lower half of her body where an apron was tied over in front, a black corset hugged her bust in a flattering manner, and had white sleeves that extended out to her shoulders. The collar of her undershirt was folded downward to cover the back of her red ribbon which was tied into a perfect bow on the front. "L-Lucy!" Natsu stuttered as he took in her appearance. She kept her hands linked together behind her back as she stepped forward, gently eased into her seat as to ensure she wouldn't wrinkle the outfit. "I know, it looks stupid." She blushed and adverted her gaze to the left. "No-" "Holy shit! Look at that!" Someone yelled before Lucy was abruptly yanked out from her seat as someone held her wrist in their hands.

"How about you come on home with me, babe? I'll show you what a real 'master' can do." The green haired teen purred as he used his free hand to grope at her hip. "No thank you." Lucy politely declined in hopes he would back off. That was unlikely. "I could show you a real good time." He winked in a suggestive manner causing Lucy to inwardly cringe. "She said," Natsu growled as he ripped his hand away from Lucy's. "No thank you. That means scram." In fear of the slayers smoldering gaze the boy ran off with his 'tail between his legs' leaving Lucy to deal with the upset mage. "Are you alright?" Lucy's eyes widened as he took her wrist in his hands and gently rotated it to see if she was injured or not. "Y-yeah." She responded completely breathless. "Good." Natsu nodded his head as he ran his calloused thumb along her skin. "We're on a team now so that means we look out for each-other. I won't let anyone hurt you Lucy, I promise." He declared. "They liike each-other~" "Shut it!"

* * *

"My name is Kaby Melon. Its a pleasure to meet you. I really must thank you for accepting my job." Kaby began while Natsu and Happy fantasized about his name. "You see, Duke Everlue owns a book named 'Daybreak.' It needs to be burned." He explained causing Natsu to smirk. "No problem there-" "We are not burning an entire house down so you can cut it out." Lucy shot his idea down before he even had a chance to propose it. "Is there a specific reason why you want this book destroyed, Mr. Melon?" The blond questioned. "We're getting 20,000 jewel. Who cares why he wants the book gone?" Natsu scowled. "Oh? Were you not informed? The reward has been raised to _2 Million_." This new information only served to make Lucy all the more suspicious. "Why has the reward been raised this much?" The girl prodded as she leaned forward. "That book. It must be destroyed at all costs. It is essential to me that Daybreak is burned." "Am I 'fired up' now! Lets do this Luce!" Natsu had dragged the blond out of the mansion before she could finish her questioning, and before they could hear Kaby's last words.

 _"Daybreak. It cannot exist any further."_

"Alright Lucy, don't screw this up. We're depending on you." Natsu and Happy whisper yelled after shoving her out from behind a tree. "You got it Lu! Use your killer beauty!" Saiya cheered as she watched the girl walk toward the giant gates of Duke Everlue's Mansion. "This is so embarrassing." Lucy inwardly groaned as she attempted to fight down her burning blush. "E-excuse me? I'm here for the maids position?" She cupped her hands over her mouth to extend the range of her voice. Lucy barely managed to dodge the giant pink haired maid that burst out from the ground, sharp eyes quickly examining her body for any signs of danger. What stood out the most was the maids scent, something that resembled a spirits; the Zodiac to be exact. "You're a maid?" The woman's voice boomed. Lucy brightened her smile in an attempt to make herself look more flattering before responding, "Y-yes!" "Then I assume you're here because of the add placed in the paper by my master?" She had to dodge for the second time that day as another person burst out from the ground, twirling his mustache between his fingers as he did so.

"Did someone call me?" Duke Everlue snickered. "Master, this girl is here for the maids position." "Is she now?" Lucy suppressed a shiver as Everlue studied her body with greedy eyes as he held his chin. "Sorry but a man with such high tastes like myself could never let such an **_ugly_** girl like you work for them. It would dirty his name!" The remaining four maids burst out from the ground behind Everlue as he continued his speech. "That is why I make it a personal standard to only hire the most beautiful maids there are." "Yeah. So get out of here before you infect us, ugly!" All four maids sneered. But instead of being upset over the fact that she had been called ugly so many times, Lucy instead found herself watching the pink haired maid who loomed over her body and met her gaze. The blond bowed her head forward, ever so slightly, in respect before turning over her heel and down the sidewalk of the large mansion. "What was that about, Virgo?" Everlue asked as we noticed his maid watching the girl walk off. "Nothing master, nothing at all." She shook her head.

When Lucy reappeared behind the cover of some trees she was in her normal outfit with her half black shirt. "You had to mess it up, didn't you." Natsu shook his head in disappointment. "There was nothing I could have done about it. If you wanted a better result you should have taken someone who is actually pretty, like Mirajaine." Lucy shrugged her shoulders causing the slayer to frown. "But Lu! You are pretty!" Saiya protested as she flew around the girls head. "Don't listen to that old man Luce. He has bad taste is all." Natsu sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Besides, I think you're prettier than Mirajaine anyways." Lets just say Lucy's face then turned the same shade as Natsu's 'salmon' hair.

"We're not going to storm his house, Natsu."

"Aw! You're no fun Lucy!"

* * *

"Man, this is so boring. Why didn't we just kick the front doors open?" Natsu complained as he melted the glass to one of the window panes on the roof. "Because that's how you get arrested. I don't know how you did things on your 'team' in the past, but I'm not going to jail because of you." Lucy shook her head. "Like I said. You're no fun." He grumbled before pushing the, now, unlocked door open. Saiya and Lucy looked around in awe at the various artifacts that littered the large storage room, until Happy jumped out with a skeleton on his face, that is. While Saiya flew right into the wall Lucy stumbled and tripped over a box of treasures, landing flat on her butt with a pale face and pounding heart.

"Are you really gonna make us open every door to this place? Why can't we just force someone to tell us where the book is?" Natsu suggested. "The point is not to be found. You have to be stealthy and quiet. Like a ninja." Why was she not surprised the word _ninja_ roused something in the two 'idiots'? "Intruder Alert!" Before the four maids could do anything serious, Happy screamed again from under his skeleton mask and scared them away. What surprised her the most, though, was the fact that Virgo didn't crush anyone other than Natsu. She completely avoided Lucy, and the exceeds around her. The pink haired slayer threw her body away with ease and sent her flying into a wall where she was knocked unconscious.

"C'mon Lucy! Lets find the book while we can!" As Natsu dragged the blond away to the library her eyes were pinned on a certain spirit like maid on the first floor. 'How odd.' Lucy said to herself. Upon entering the large room filled with books Lucy placed Saiya on her head, much to Natsu and Happy's confusion. "What are you doing?" "Finding the book." The blond stated as if it were obvious. Saiya's blue eyes began to glow before she was looking around the room at rapid speeds. Within minutes she had found the 'sparkly', as Natsu would put it, book. But before Natsu could spark the book up in flames, Lucy snatched it away with wide eyes. "Wait a second! I didn't know this book was written by Kemu Zaleon!" She gasped. "Kemu a who?" The name felt foreign on Natsu's tongue. "You know what? It doesn't really matter. Gimme the book so I can burn it and finish the job." The slayer held out his hands in an expectant manner, as if Lucy would hand over the book so easily. Gears began to turn in Lucy's head as she narrowed her eyes at the book, piecing together the bits and pieces of information she already knew about the great author. "Kaby Melon." Lucy murmured as she traced the authors name.

 _"It must be destroyed at all costs."_

Eyes went wide in realization as Lucy quickly understood that the book was not what it seemed. "No." Lucy surprising denied as she hugged the book to her chest. "You can't burn it. Not yet at least." "Stop playing around Lucy! This is our job!" Natsu scolded as he grabbed for the book. "Natsu. _This book isn't ours to burn._ There's some sort of secret written in here. Let me read it and then we can burn it-!" "Oh? A secret? Do tell." A nasty voice sneered before Everlue popped out of the ground on the other side of the room. "Just give me the book Lucy! We can end this now!" Natsu repeated as he sent his fist up in flames. "What kind of teammate wouldn't trust their friend when they say something is wrong?" Lucy suddenly exclaimed causing the boys eyes to widen. "Fine then. If you doubt me so much then you can have all the reward **_after_** I'm done reading it. I'd never stay on a team with someone who couldn't believe in their comrades!"

"Give me my book back! Take your filthy hands off of it!" Duke Everlue yelled as he pointed a finger at the blond. "Go to hell!" Everlue practically choked to death as she shot to the left and rushed out of the room, leaving a frozen dragon slayer and his partner behind. "Come, Vanish Brothers! Catch that vile wench!" The Duke cried before a hidden door in the wall opened. "Happy, go with Lucy. I don't think she has enough magic in her to fully protect herself." "But I thought you wanted to burn the book? Why aren't you going to come with me?" Happy asked in confusion. "If Lucy says that there's something we're missing about that book, then I trust her. Besides, she's right. Real teammates believe and trust in one another." "Aye sir!" "Meanwhile, I'll stay here and deal with these punks." Natsu could only hope that Lucy was right about her hunch.

* * *

As Lucy ran down the long corridors of Duke Everlue's mansion she read through the pages of Daybreak with record speed. She knew there was something she was missing. Some piece to the puzzle that could finish it all. Kaby was hiding something, this she knew. And then there was the factor of how his name rung a bell in her head. Kaby Melon : Kemu Zaleon : Zekua Melon. It was all connected somehow.

 _"You're a smart girl Lucy. Trust your gut, you've always had a strong six sense. The stars will help lead the way. Just listen."_

"Please," Lucy murmured as she brushed her free hand over her keys. "Help me." Her blood seemed to warm and pump at a faster rate as her skin began to tingle. The blonds feet began to move on their own accord as she drank in the vast sea of information in her hands. She found herself flying down sets of stairs until she was far under the mansion and instead in the nasty sewers. Lucy eased onto the floor and yanked on her Wind Reader Glasses which gave her the ability to read at a faster pace than she already was. "I was right! This book did hold a secret!" She declared. "Lucy! Look out!" Saiya gasped as she detected an approaching magic body. The blond had barely managed to roll forward and dodge Everlue's crushing grasp, eyes narrowing into a dark glare as her lips pulled back in a dangerous snarl. "Do tell then. Any secrets that trash holds rightfully belongs to me!"

"Let me guess! It tells of where all his greatest fortunes lie!" Everlues voice bounced off of the walls as he used his Diver Magic to shoot back into the ground in hopes of catching the blond while she was unaware of his exact location. "How ignorant can you be?!" Lucy scoffed as she flipped backward to avoid his hold once more. "You want to know what it is so badly?! Its a trashy story about a horrible man named Duke Everlue." "Well, I do agree with you about the story being trashy. I wouldn't say the main character was horrible though, I am the perfect muse after all." Everlue's arrogance only served to add to Lucy's already boiling anger. "You're a sorry excuse of a man! Not only did you blackmail Zaleon but you locked him in solitary confinement for three years! Was it not enough to ruin his families lives?!" A filthy smirk pulled up Everlue's lips at the girls words before he spoke as well. "Why, that was all his fault! Had he agreed to write my story from the beginning I would have never had to do it all! You find it cruel I locked him up for so long? That's just the time it took for him to appreciate me!"

"You couldn't be so wrong! Zaleon never appreciated you! This book wasn't even written for you!" "How can that be?! I've read that book hundreds of times, I'm the only one mentioned!" This time it was Lucy's turn to smirk. "Yes, well, I happen to know something even you don't know. Before Zaleon ever became an author he was a great wizard! When the book was finished he used what little strength he had left and cast a spell on it. This book doesn't belong to you Everlue! It never did, that's why I won't give it back!" Within seconds Lucy had a golden key in her left hand as she swiped it through the air with a certain ferocity only she held. "Open! Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!"

Happy and Saiya's eyes widened, however, as Duke Everlue suddenly had a golden key in his hand as well. "Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" Followed by a large rumble before said spirit appeared with something extra. "L-Lucy look!" Saiya gasped as her eyes landed on the pink haired slayer. "He traveled through the Celestial Spirit world?!" Lucy gaped. "N-now what?!" He yelped. "Finish this so we can go home!" "Right!" He took in a big gulp of air before screaming; "Fire Dragon Roar!" The blond quickly yanked out her whip and coiled it around Everlues body so Cancer could do his thing while Natsu took out Virgo. Next thing either party knew, the Everlue Mansion was reduced to a pile of rubble.

* * *

Kaby looked up at Lucy in confusion as she offered him the very book he requested to be burned. "I'm afraid I don't understand." He explained. "I asked that this was destroyed. So why?" His eyebrows furrowed as he easily recognized the burning anger in the girls eyes. "Do not misunderstand me, Mr. Melon. I can see why you would want this book destroyed. Zaleon's your father, correct?" "He.. He is." Kaby gulped. "If you still want to burn the book, then by all means do it. I won't let anyone stop you from doing what you desire. But just know some people would kill to have one last memory of their father. You have something very rare, Mr. Melon. Would you really give that all up because you were hurt by your fathers leaving?" "I most certainly would!" He agreed as he lit up a match. "This book is trash. My father left us for something he never supported in the first place-!"

"Is that why you said he was a bad father?" Lucy clenched her fists. "You've been wrong about everything from the very start! Your father loved you more than anything Kaby! This book isn't trash! Its by far the best work of literature he's ever wrote! Look!" Everyone gasped as the book suddenly levitated into the air and began to glow a bright white. "While it reads normally as Daybreak, when rearranged its real title is revealed; Dear Kaby. This book was hidden behind a spell to hide its true meaning until the one true reader found it. This is a letter to you Kaby, Zekua Melon's son, holding everything he ever wanted to say to you." The girls eyes softened and fell void of her anger as she saw the wetness in Kaby's eyes when the book landed in his hands. It was funny how bittersweet the situation actually was.

"Natsu, Happy, Saiya, lets go." The blond exclaimed as she turned over her heel. "B-but your reward!" Kaby protested. "We were supposed to burn the book." Natsu smiled. "Since we didn't burn it we didn't finish the mission." Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "Take good care of that book, Mr. Melon." Both slayers chorused as they made their way to the exit of the house. "Its time we headed home, that means you too Mr. Melon." Were Natsu's final, parting, words.

* * *

As they began their trek home an important question came to Happy's mind. "Say, Lucy? How'd you know all that stuff about the book?" She looked up to the stars as she answered. "Kemu Zaleon is one of my favorite authors. When I'd first caught wind of his death I was devastated. I immediately could tell that something was wrong with the book because it wasn't something Zaleon would ever write and publish. Kaby's story didn't add up and when we broke into Everlue's mansion the pieces started to fall in place. It was pretty easy to figure out, honestly." Lucy explained. "Plus Lucy has this cool six sense ability. She can normally tell when something will go wrong." Saiya chimed in. "Woah! So Lucy's psychic?!" Happy yelled over the sounds of the cooking fire.

"You know what Luce? I've got you all figured out." Natsu suddenly snickered. "Your obsession with books and that stack of papers I found. You want to be a writer don't cha'?" "Shut up!" Lets just say that was the second time Natsu got a Lucy Kick that day.

* * *

It had been a long morning of walking through swamps and dense forests. Lucy had staid in Horologiums body for most of the journey and answered small annoying questions Happy would bring up here and there; or simply yell at him for saying something rude, normally along the lines of "Lucy's fat because she never walks on her own." She was just ready to get home and take a real mission so she could actually pay her rent on time. Of course Natsu had to add to the blonds annoyance by jumping at a bush when it began to rustle out of nowhere. "He really is an idiot, isn't he?" Lucy sweatdropped and banged her head against the glass door of Horologiums body. "Its Gray!" Happy yelled in surprise. And not so surprisingly the duo got into an unintelligible argument about whether or not there would be a bathroom in the forest.

"You four should get back to the guild soon too." "Yeah? Why's that Ice Princess?" Natsu sneered. "Erza's on her way home. I'd say she'll be back anytime." Gray shivered. "That's great news! We have to get you back home quick Lucy!" Saiya cheered. "What are you so happy about?" Gray sweatdropped. "Erza is one of the people on Lucy's fight list!" "Fight list?!" Both mages screeched. "No Luce you can't!" "Yeah! Erza will kill you!" "She's a monster!" "A demon!" "She crushed Gray with her pinky!" "Yeah?! Well she knocked Natsu out with a glare!" "Did she?!" "Yeah?!" "WOULD YOU IDIOTS SHUT THE HELL UP?!" Lucy yelled after smacking them both in the back of the head. "Aye sir!" Next thing anyone knew they were engulfed in sand.

"Saiya! Happy!" Lucy's eyes widened as neither exceed could be found. "Help us!" The cats cried as they were tied to a stick over a fire pit. "Oi! You'd best let my friends go!" Lucy snarled as she was the first to find the Eisenwald members. "Oo I'm so scared." Snarl teased. "Tch." The dark guild mages suddenly found themselves withering in fear under the girls dark gaze along with the two beside her. "You think its funny to try and eat our comrades?" Natsu growled. "You mess with one of us you mess with all of us." Gray smirked. "Lucy help me! I don't wanna be eaten!" Saiya cried. And just like that all three mages shot forward. "Sand Bomb!" "Go get the exceeds! I'll cover you!" Gray yelled over all the chaos. "Right!" The blond quickly ran over to her two friends and began to untie them from their binds, ignoring Happy's screams about how she was going to eat him next. "Behind you!" Saiya exclaimed as the Chicken appeared behind the slayer. "Celestial Dragon Iron Fist!" Gray's smirk widened as he watched the blond from the corner of his eyes send the poor mage flying into the trees with a simple punch. "She belongs in Fairy Tail alright."

Soon enough all 5 mages were tied to the tree with Gray and Natsu fighting in the background, again, while Lucy crouched in front of them all. "L-Lulla..by. L-Lullaby." "Lucy look out!" Happy and Saiya crashed into the girl before she could be caught in the large shadow hand that yanked all 5 mages underground. "What the?!" Natsu gaped as he attempted to find the caster of the spell. "Whoever it is, they're gone now." Gray frowned. "Lets just get back to the guild." "Yeah, good idea."

* * *

 _ **A/N: I apologize for the long wait! I had to finish band-camp and then school started! I have practice Tuesday-Thursday, Football Games Friday, and Competitions almost every Saturday so I was busy and unable to update this fanfic.**_

 _ **~These two episodes (3 &4) were hard to write for some reason so I'm sorry if certain parts of the chapter seem awkward. I'm going to try and push out another chapter before the day ends but if I can't it will definitely be up tomorrow 3**_

 _ **THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS/ FAVORITES/ FOLLOWS**_

 _ **Pls do it some more.**_

 _ **Let me know what you think of 'A Heart of Stars' so far, I love your feedback!**_

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

* * *

"Why good morning Lucy. How are you feeling since the incident?" Mirajaine greeted the blond as she stepped foot into the guild. "A-ah, good morning to you too Mira." The blond stuttered as she was still unaccustomed to being welcomed so warmly everywhere she went; back with Draco it was always something along the lines of ' _So your fat ass if finally up, huh?!'._ Lucy scowled slightly at the memory. "I've been as good as I can be with Natsu and Happy constantly following me, I suppose." The silver haired barmaid laughed even though Lucy spoke with utmost seriousness. "Well, it's not exactly an unknown that those two have taken quite the liking to you and your partner." She giggled. "I know they can be overbearing at times, Lucy, but those two are the most loyal friends you could ask for. I know they'll treat you right." Unable to conjure the right words to respond with Lucy simply nodded her head. It seemed Mirajaine wasn't done, however. "One last thing," The woman began as she caught the girl by her wrist. "We're all family here Lucy. Everyone has their own share of problems, demon's to battle. But no one ever said you had to continue fighting them all on your own. We're here if you need us."

And even thought her words were soft and caring, it only made Lucy's stomach churn in distaste. "It's not hard to see that you're upset over the loss of your father, possibly even more so than Natsu is. But we're here for you Lucy, all of us are. You don't have to suffer alone anymore." Mirajaine couldn't help but frown as Lucy swiftly yanked her wrist away and responded as she clenched her fists by her sides. "I wouldn't know much about what having a family means." She began. "And while I envy you for the sudden concern you've decided to create for me, I must warn you now. The second I find my dragon, it'l me the last you'll ever hear of me. Making friends, forming bonds, _having a fake family_ ; I don't do that. Feeding yourself white lies doesn't change the past and will only threaten the future. After all, the only thing friendships are good for is hurting people in the end." She hadn't mean't to be cold when she spoke but Lucy didn't much appreciate it when someone offered her advice on situations they knew nothing about. While her dragon may not have been a fatherly figure whatsoever, Draco was all Lucy had.

So was she not entitled to be at least a little mean when it came to something she wanted so badly, but could never have?

All she had wanted was to have a family of her own from the very start. She had almost fallen victim to the haunting disease called loneliness but was provided a momentary remedy by her dragon. _By her father_. It was only natural she would shun the rest of the world away in fear of the abandonment she had grown so accustomed to feeling. So why would she make herself vulnerable by becoming attached to something that wasn't real? To some fake family that would provide her fake fantasies? Because in the end the truth would be revealed. She had been, and always would be, abandoned. At times Lucy felt that the only thing keeping her sane was the longing hunger for the answers to the thousands of questions she had for Draco. That was all Lucy cared about, her dragon. Why would she settle for anything less than the taste of love she already experienced as a child?

"What type of mission are we taking today, Lu?" Saiya yawned as she landed on the girls shoulder, effectively snapping her out of her daze. "I dunno." The blond shrugged her shoulders as she inwardly hoped that her voice didn't come out as strained as it sounded to her own ears. Much to her personal relief Nab interrupted her conversation before Saiya could have possibly confirmed her fears. "If you find one you like, take it to Mirajaine. The Master's not in today so she's been put in charge of recording them all down." The male explained as he watched Lucy glance up at him from the corner of her eyes. "You must finish a lot of missions since I always see you over here. You super strong or somethin'?" The girl suddenly prodded. Nabs face burned with a bright heat as his cheeks turned a bright pink that could rival the shade of Natsu's hair. "W-well you see!" He squeaked. "Nab never chooses any jobs, Luce. All he does is stand there." A familiar voice chuckled before an arm was thrown over her shoulder, forcing Saiya to fly away in order to not be crushed. "What type of mission are we taking today?" Natsu questioned the stiff girl.

 ** _"I,"_** Lucy scoffed as she threw the boys arm off of her. "Am not sure yet. _**You**_ can find your own for all I care." Her response only caused the boy to pale. "Huh?! But I thought we were a team, Lucy!" "Please. You only wanted me because the mission required a blond maid. Besides, you didn't trust me at first when I told you there was something wrong with that book." She stubbornly huffed. "Aw! C'mon Luce! Give us one more chance!" The pink haired boy pleaded as he seized the girl by her shoulders, a possessive glint blazing in his onyx eyes. "You might as well ditch that flame idiot Lucy. I'm sure other teams would be glad to have you." Gray chimed in with a smirk. "Please." Natsu repeated with a genuinely sincere look on his face.

 _"Please Draco! I know I can handle this training! Teach me your magic! Give me a chance!"_

A small scowl worked its way onto Lucy's lips as she slapped the boys arms off of her body and looked in the opposite direction. "One." She grumbled as his eyes widened. "You get one chance to prove to me that we'd be good on a team together. Once chance, and if you blow it that's it -hey! P-put me down!" The girl yelped as Natsu suddenly grabbed her by her hips and lifted her up into the air as he spun around in a circle. "Yeah! You hear that Happy? Luce and Saiya are gonna stay with us! You won't regret this, I promise!" Natsu laughed in glee. "Suck it Gray! Lucy sided with me, not you, you ugly ice prick!" "What'd you say to me?!" "That you were ugly! You deaf now too?!"

"What did I get myself into?" Lucy groaned as she watched the two begin to bicker. Mirajaine felt her mood brighten as she watched a small smile pull up the corner of the blonds lips as she watched Natsu and fight throw punches at one another, a small annoyed eye roll only adding to her vast sea of expressions. She may have denied it but Mirajaine knew quite well Lucy wanted to be there just as much as she did.

* * *

Of course fate decided to seem cruel and continued to toy with the blond, making her morning all the more 'eventful'. "Why don't you join a team with me, Lucy? Say at a restaurant around 6?" Loke cooed as he threw an arm around her shoulder as Natsu previously did, an action neither Gray nor Natsu missed as they immediately stopped their childish banter in order to watch the coming events. The pink haired slayer had trouble holding back a deep, feral, growl as his eyes spotted Loke's hips touching _his_ partners. "Sorry, who are you again?" Lucy deadpanned as she pried her body away from the womanizers. "W-wha?! My name is Loke! Surely you've heard of me!" He gaped. Lucy tilted her head slightly to the left and placed her thumb between her lips as she studied the male before her, who awfully stunk of Celestial Spirit beneath his heavy cloud of cologne, she might add. "Loke?" She tested the name, pronouncing it with two syllables as it tasted forgien on her tongue. Much to the guilds amuzement the flirtatious man's eyes widened and his face turned dark red at how cute the blond had exactly looked right then and there.

"Y-yeah! So how bout it, babe?" He coughed in an attempt to regain his normal demeanor. "Your beauty would surely go to waist if such a refined man like myself didn't treat you like the princess you truly are." Loke purred to add effect. Gray's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as the orange haired male gently took Lucy's hand in his and placed a small kiss on her knuckles, further adding to his attempt to woo the girl. Her brown eyes didn't fail to spot the rings on his fingers or the unique glasses on his face as she watched him perform said action. "Leave her alone already Loke!" Natsu snapped as he quickly stormed over to his partners side, Gray following closely behind him. Their eyes widened, however, as she suddenly raised her arm and forced both boys to stop. "Loke's not your real name, is it?" She questioned with a small step forward. "I-It is!" Loke protested as he took a step back. "No thank you." Lucy politely declined. "Your quite afraid of Celestial Spirit Mage's, correct _Loke?_ " Lucy said his name in an almost mocking tone as the glint of her gold and silver keys became obvious. "We would never work out." The blond smirked as his face paled. "Sorry I gotta go!"

And just like that, he was gone.

"Woah! You're totally bad-ass Lucy! I'd toast to you and your rockin' body!" Cana cheered in a drunken slur. "Yeah! Lucy's a man!" "What'd you say?! I'm not a man-!" The poor girl didn't have the chance to finish her statement for Natsu and Gray crashed into her body when they tripped over god knows what; due to whatever stupid thing they were arguing about that time. "See! Look what you did mouth breather!" "At least I'm not a coward that pushes people into girls!" Both mages barked directly in Lucy's ear. "Would you idiots stop fighting already?!" The girl seethed as she punched them both off with ease. "You lookin for a fight too Lucy?!" Gray and Natsu chorused in the midst of their rage. "Oh? You wanna challenge me, eh?" The blond hissed as an ominous aura surrounded her body. "Bring it on then you pansies!" This only caused everyone to laugh even further at their childish antics. "Yeah, she belongs here alright." Wakaba exclaimed after a puff from his wooden pipe. "Of course she does. She's got as much hot blood in her as either of them boys." Macao agreed. But the fun had to end at one point, and it was almost terrifying exactly how quickly that time came.

 ** _"Its Erza! SHE'S ON HER WAY HERE!"_**

And while the entire guild went into havoc upon one woman's name, turning into nothing more than a shivering mess as the distant sounds of crushing footsteps grew ever closer, Natsu, Gray and Lucy were far too caught up in their own world to even register what was going on around them. "Ice Make: Sword!" "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" "Lucy Kick!" While Natsu was kicked halfway across the guild, Lucy was sent flying as Gray's sword nailed her straight in the gut and sent her crashing into a certain scarlet haired mage. "Gray you bastard!" The blond snarled as she dusted herself off with ease and jumped over tables in order to tackle him to the ground. "STOP THIS FIGHTING AT ONCE!" Erza roared as she pried Lucy and Gray apart with ease. "What is the meaning of this?!" The female warrior demanded as she glared down at the two mages. "Fire Dragon Talons!" "Celestial Dragon Star Shield!"

Lucy was abruptly dropped onto her butt, something that roused a groan from her mouth, as Erza brought her hands up to her mouth in an audible gasp. _"L-Lucy?!"_ The girls own brown eyes widened at the sound of an old voice that she recalled far too well before she was met with the woman's face. _"Erza?!"_ Within seconds she was engulfed in a hug, her face buried in the slightly taller mage's neck as she embraced her in a bone crushing hug; something she all to eagerly returned. "You know Lucy, Erza?" Mirajaine asked in surprise. "Of course I do!" The redhead responded as if it were the dumbest question alive. "She is my **little sister**. Just what kind of older sibling would I be if I couldn't recognize my little one?" "Sister?!" The entirety of the guild chortled. Everyone paled as the two girls linked hands and began to jump around in a circle, rainbows and flowers spewing out around them as they finally rejoiced with one another. "Lucy, please, one moment. There is a serious matter that must be addressed." Erza coughed before turning to face the guild. "I heard a couple things on the road.." It was wishful thinking to imagine that Erza wouldn't tear into almost every guild member, even if she did finally see her so called 'sister'.

"Natsu, Gray." "Y-yes ma'm?!" They gulped. "I have a favor to ask." She surprisingly explained. "The two of you are the strongest wizards here and this is of utmost importance. Lucy, I would also require your assistance, if you would." She redirected her gaze down at the shorter girl, who's grin turned slightly smug at the new attention. "Who am I to say no to my older sister? Sure, I'll help you out." The blond winked. "T-this team could go down in history as the strongest team we've ever seen!" Mirajaine exclaimed with wide eyes. "One more thing, Lucy." The guild leaned forward in anticipation for what the scarlet haired warrior would say next, almost passing out as she finally did. "I would like to have a one on one battle with you when we get back. Its been quite a long time since I've had such a capable partner to spar with." Erza smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Like I said," Sparks flew as their eyes met and Lucy's smirk began to mirror the woman's. "Who am I to say no to my sister?"

Now, someone challenging Erza to a fight was credible; but to ever imagine that the Erza Scarlet would challenge someone else is unheard of. "Hey! I have one condition!" Natsu's obnoxious voice snapped everyone out of their tense daze. "I want a fight with you as well!" Yep, typical Natsu Dragneel.

* * *

"Agh! Teaming up with you is so stupid! Who would want an ice prick like you to come along?!"

"More like who would want a stupid fire breather like you to!"

"What'd you call me?!"

"A damn fire breather you flame brain!"

"Loser!"

"Idiot!"

"Stripper!"

"Take that back!"

"Make me!"

 ** _"SHUT UP!"_**

Both Natsu and Gray jumped into the air as if they'd seen the devil himself, cowering in fear as Lucy sent them a deadly glare that even rivaled Erza's. "You two idiots are constantly fighting and I'm sick of it! Natsu, you need to grow up! Gray, you're better than this! If he annoys you so much then ignore him! Its like I'm dealing with children!" Lucy seethed as she wanted to yank the hairs out of her head in annoyance. that the duo constantly caused. "And if you two so much as make me look a little bit bad in front of Erza, I swear I'll show you she's not the only one around here to be feared." She hissed as her glare only darkened. "H-hey Lucy. I've b-been meaning to ask. Why does Erza call you her sister? Are you two related by b-blood or something?" Gray questioned partly because he was curious and partly to dispel the anger she was directing solely to him and his rival. "No. We are not related by blood. Erza and I met when we both took a joint mission to defeat a dark guild. She respected my abilities, as I her, and we made it a regular thing to meet and train with one another. It was only natural we created such a sisterly bond." Lucy explained as a slight smile grazed her lips. "I can't wait to see how many new sets of armor she's gotten! I remember when all she had was a breastplate and one sword!"

"Reminiscing about the old days, are we Lucy?" Said woman chuckled as she came up beside the blond. "I've heard quite the rumors about you as well Lucy. Defeating a vulcan with your pinky, and a demon spirit? I look forward to seeing how you've matured in combat." "W-well," Lucy chuckled nervously. "That isn't exactly.."

* * *

Five minutes into the departure from Magnolia station Happy decided to open his mouth. "Lucy? How come your motion sickness isn't acting up?" The blue cat asked as he noticed that she sat like a normal person on the mode of transportation instead of being a weak, groaning, mess like Natsu was. "Motion sickness?" Erza raised an eyebrow at the exceeds question. "I thought you said you'd gotten over that Lucy." The woman frowned as she imagined to herself how long she had the painful condition for. "It acts up here and there. I'm wearing those medical patches you got me, though, so I feel fine." The blond answered as she rested her head on the window and watched the scenery pass and turn to a colorless blur. "They do make me sleepy for some odd reason." She yawned as her eyes began to droop. "Here, come lay on my lap." Erza cooed as she shifted the blond closer her way. Gray sweatdropped and looked at Lucy in pity as her head was violently bashed against Erza's armor, effectively knocking her out before Natsu joined her in exhaustion. "I've got a question for you." Gray confessed once both slayers were asleep.

"While I can see why you'd need Natsu and I on this mission, why would you need Lucy as well? Shouldn't we three be enough?" "How perceptive of you Gray." Erza smirked as she placed her hand on Lucy's head. "In any ordinary situation you would be correct; You, Natsu and I should have been enough to complete this important task. But Lucy is no ordinary wizard, her strength and intelligence rivals even my own." Gray leaned forward in confusion. "What do you mean?" "Lucy has a natural ability to snuff out anything related to dark magic. The only normal reasoning to why something would be sealed away is because it has dark magic effects. But because of the natural light magic that pumps through Lucy's veins, she can negate most of these effects. While she is not totally immune to the dark magic, no one is, it doesn't effect her as great or a quick." Erza explained.

"So it's our job to stop them from doing it." Gray stated. "Quite the contrary. Its our job to protect Lucy while she finds whatever dark magic this is, and assist her in whatever way she needs. **_My_** little sister is the core strength of this mission. Its essential we do everything she asks, Lucy is the genius here after all." The two mage's fell into a comfortable silence after that, Gray simply watched as Erza stroked the blonds head with a certain fondness; Happy and Saiya making small talk here and there. "She's always been alone, you know." Erza suddenly murmured though he heard her loud and clear. "Lucy immediately took the leadership role when we first met. She didn't share and didn't listen to any of the advice I gave her. Always rambling on and on about how she was the superior wizard because she was trained by this great dragon." A smile pulled up the corners of her lips as she continued to speak.

"She tries to act all high and mighty, like nothing ever bothers her. Everyone suspects Lucy to be this great mage that has no feelings. She doesn't believe in friendship or making a new family. That's why I took it upon myself to become a sister to her. I know she sometimes wonders what it would be like to have a real family instead of chasing something that may not be there anymore." The redhead lifted her eyes up to meet Gray's gaze. "You have to do me a personal favor and make Lucy feel welcomed. Help me prove to her that she doesn't always have to be alone." Determination swelled in the raven haired males chest before he was nodding his head. "Sure."

* * *

"Do you think those Eisenwald mages will still be here?" "I can only hope, Gray. I can only hope." Erza sighed as she pulled the giant cart of her luggage behind her upon entering Onibas Station. "E-excuse me, Miss Scarlet?" Saiya exclaimed in a soft voice. "Yes Saiya? What is it?" The woman gazed over her shoulder to look at the silver exceed. "I think we may have left Natsu and Lucy on the train." "And look! there it goes!" Happy stated the obvious as he watched the train speed out of the station and out of sight. "I-I'm such a fool! How could I ever leave my baby sister on such a contraption she hates! Gray, strike me!" "N-no! I could never-!" It was funny how she completely forgot about any other elements when it came to the blond slayer, completely ignoring the fact that she left Natsu on the train as well.

Meanwhile...

* * *

...

"Damn, that stings." Lucy groaned as she poked at the red bump on her forehead from where the redhead had knocked her out. She braced the sink and leaned forward as the feeling of uncertainty bubbled up in her stomach for the second time that day. There was something wrong, something terribly wrong, she just knew it. The girl scowled as she recalled the nightmare she had woken from just minutes ago, flashes of a large demon flute terrorizing the population as it ran rampant zooming through her mind. "Lullaby." Lucy murmured as she splashed some cold water on her face. "That's what those wizards said before they were attacked. Is it linked somehow?" Her frown only deepened as she remembered what Erza had told her after she informed Natsu, Gray and herself that they were needed for her special task.

 _"The dark guild Eisenwald is planning something, Lucy. It involves something that was sealed away. I'm really depending on you to help prevent whatever their plan is from happening."_

"The Demon Flute Lullaby." Lucy growled as she narrowed her eyes at her reflection. "Yet another one of Zeref's blasted creations." She released her painstaking hold on the sink and reached up to tighten her messy ponytail as she took a deep breath through her nose. "Lets hope I'm wrong about that assumption." She whispered before a pained yelp broke past her lips. The blonds body was thrown forward into the mirror and the sink as the train suddenly halted. A horrible screeching pounded in her ears as the brakes fought against the iron train tracks below her in an attempt to completely stop. Her hands moved on their own as something sticky and wet began to trickle down her face. Had it not been for the sharp glass shard she felt embedded in her skin it would have been the giant crack in the mirror that suggested she was cut due to the accident. Hissing in more annoyance than pain, Lucy removed the glass from her forehead and quickly cleaned the blood away; at least the best that she could with some toilet paper and water from the sink. She was more concerned with getting out of the train right then and there.

"Attention all passengers, that stop was a false alarm. We will be departing shortly."

"Crap! I have to go!" The girl cursed as she began to sprint down the isles of the train to the exit before it could depart again. "Sorry lady!" She yelled over her shoulder after rudely jumping over her body crouched in the center of the walkway. "Kids these days." Lucy heard the woman mutter, something that roused a genuine laugh from her throat. "You lookin' for a fight?!" The blond heard Natsu's voice yell in a threatening manner from a few compartments down. The train slowly began to roll forward again and Lucy knew that her time was almost up. Barreling through doors and practically shoving people aside she made it just in time to watch Natsu literally jump out of the window and land safely on a green Magic Mobile next to the train. "Lady, did you see that?! He totally just attacked me out of nowhere!" Kageyama lied in an attempt to get the girl on his side, completely unaware that she was a member of the very guild he had dissed moments ago. "Hey. You're hurt too. What happened to you?" Despite the blood that poured down the left side of her face Lucy's right eye was still sharp enough to spot the wooden flute on the center of the floor. "Miss?"

The shadow mage barely knew what hit him as she suddenly dashed forward and yanked the item up from the ground before spinning over her heel and jumped onto the roof above them both. Only the upper half of her body managed to make it up and left her lower half vulnerable for attack. "Now, now, didn't your mommy teach you its rude to take things that don't belong to you?" The dark wizard sneered as he grabbed onto Lucy's legs and began to tug at her body. "Get off of me!" The blond yelled before bashing the heel of her boot onto his face. Kageyama hit the floor with a grunt while Lucy scrambled to get the rest of her body upright and moving. Now, running on a fast paced train already wasn't easy, but with only one good eye it made the process even harder. Add on the sounds of attacks landing directly behind you and the increasing volume of footsteps, that's exactly how she felt.

 _"In the event that you're backed into a corner, just breathe Lucy. You're smart and strong, don't let your fear consume you."_

Her cloak reappeared on her body as she evened out her breathing and cleared her mind to ensure she would neither fall off the train or drop the flute. While she could have whipped around and launched an attack at the male, she didn't want to endanger any of the other passengers with the wide range of her spells. "Breathe." Lucy reminded herself as the front of the train came into her line of sight. "Now what're you gonna do?! There's nowhere to run now!" Kageyama sneered as the girl came upon the end of the line. "Lucy don't!" Erza screamed as she realized what the blond planned to do. "Catch!" Just before she threw her own body off of the train, she chucked the item at Erza's position in hopes she would catch it. And she would have too, had it not been for Kageyama's shadows that got to it instead.

 _"Sometimes you have to take risks to survive."_

Her hands instinctively came up to cover her face as the ground grew closer and closer. Yes, she'd thrown her body from a moving train and was plummeting toward the earth at high speeds. Yes, it was stupid and she would likely have serious injures upon impact. Yes, she would get scolded by Erza for such a reckless decision. -That's what really did make her Draco's daughter, she was crazy.

* * *

Pain was all Lucy's body registered as she finally hit the ground, her body forced to roll as she dug into the hard earth. Dust and bits of rock entangled with her cloak and made her eyes water and it hard to breathe. "Luce/Lucy!" Natsu and Gray yelled in concern for the girl as they jumped out of the magic mobile and rushed to her side. "E-Erza she's hurt!" Natsu exclaimed with wide eyes as he saw the drops of blood that hit the ground as she sat up. "Please," Lucy snorted as she pulled the hood of her cloak down. "This is nothing. _I am a dragons daughter after all._ " She smirked. Instead of verbally responding to Natsu's fearful statement, Erza took Lucy's face in the palms of her hands and inspected the injury. A wet washcloth appeared in her hand before she was pressing it against her head and wiping away the dried blood. "It never fails to amaze me how terribly idiotic your actions are considering your level of intelligence. Still an adrenaline junkie, I see." Her words only roused small giggles from Lucy's mouth as she threw her head back in genuine laughter. "What can I say, I was raised by an idiot. Its only natural I picked up on some of his tendencies." Lucy grinned as she popped a rock into her mouth, much to the two males surprise.

Erza rolled her eyes and took a step back as she offered the girl a hand. "You aren't gonna treat her wounds?" Gray frowned. "What wound?" The woman smirked as Lucy pushed back her fringe to reveal flawless skin. "But she's eating rocks for pete's sake!" "That's because its apart of my element, duh. Anything that had stardust on it I can eat." Lucy boasted. Noticing the conflicted expressions on both males faces Saiya decided to speak up as to ease the confusion. "Well you see, most rocks on this planet today actually came from Meteors and Asteroids, both of which already have stardust infused into their DNA. However, other natural products can absorb light from the sun, moon, and stars. This process, of course, takes a lot of time. Lucy couldn't eat a random rock and immediately gain the element necessary to fuel her Dragon Slaying Magic, different levels of stardust vary upon different objects; all of which depend on how long they've undergone this natural process. And since Lucy is the Celestial Dragon Slayer she can audomatically determine which rocks do have this quality and how much of it." The silver exceed explained. "I told you already, didn't I? Lucy's not a normal mage Gray. The pure light magic in her body gives her natural advances; healing is only one of them. Speaking of advances, what's you find out this 'Lullaby', Lucy?"

* * *

 ** _A/N: I'm so sad, I wanted to make this chapter so much longer but I have math homework I have to start on/finish. I'll try and start the next chapter tonight and have it up by tomorrow, no promises though since I have practice after school !_!_**

 ** _*THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SWEET REVIEWS!_**

 ** _It really warms my heart to see what you guys think of the story so far! Feel free to ever PM me if you just wanna talk too! 3_**

 ** _Lemme know what you thought of Lucy's relationship with Erza and on this chapter in general!_**

 ** _Until next time~_**

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _*Note; I added a bit of information to the last chapter, in case anyone didn't see it, concerning Lucy eating that rock_**

 _~Also the beginning of this chapter is a flashback to Lucy's past, and will be finished in later chapters; as it is left 'To be Continued'~_

* * *

~3rd Person P.O.V~

 _"Saiya, look out!" Lucy screamed as she suddenly dove toward her exceed, barely managing to tackle her to the ground before she could be hit by a beam of pure dark magic. "L-Lu?!" Said exceed stuttered as she felt a wet, sticky, substance coat her silver fur. "C-crap!" The blond cursed as she violently spit up a mouthful of blood; shutting her eyes in agony as a searing pain engulfed her nerves. "Lucy! Y-you!" Saiya hadn't managed to finish speaking before the girl stumbled forward in order to safely avoid the dangerous explosions going off around her. "Lucy! Y-you're really hurt-!" "Quiet!" She cut her partner off as she pressed her back flat against the large oak tree behind her while she attempted to still her labored breaths. **"Does the brat really think she can get away?"** A deep voice sneered causing goosebumps to rise on Lucy's arms. **"This is your fault, you know. If you'd have just hit them from the start we wouldn't be looking for them right now."** Its owner added. **"It would be wise to shut your mouth, Acnologia. I'm already not in a good mood, do you really think it wise to worsen it yourself?"** Another male voice warned before continuing; **"You might as well come out now before I truly get angry, Lucy. I swear to make your death quick and painless if you just lay your life down and accept it now." **The young girl shut her eyes and zeroed in on her senses as she held her exceed to her chest, all while attempting to ignore the sharp throbbing emitting from her right shoulder as it dripped with blood. _

_Lucy quickly slapped a hand over Saiya's mouth to muffle her whimper as the tree to their left suddenly shattered into thousands of pieces, the girl luckily managing to silence the exceed before she could accidentally blow their cover. "Saiya, listen to me." The blond whispered with a barely audible tone. "Get somewhere safe and start looking for Draco." She tightened her hold on the exceeds body, against her chest, in an attempt to steady her trembling hands. "What?!" The silver cat's eyes widened in disbelief at her request. "I could never leave you!" Saiya argued. "I can't cover you and fight these guys! You can't stay here!" Lucy insisted after shutting her eyes to block possible tears from forming. "But-!" "I'm Lucy of the Stars, yeah? The great daughter of the King of the Galaxy. You don't honestly believe I can't win, do you?" The girl joked in an attempt to make herself sound more believable. "Don't make me regret this, Lucy. Don't make me hate myself for making this decision." Saiya pleaded despite how much she truly wanted to stay by the blonds side. "I'm not going down here. Not now, not today. I promise." She offered the exceed a toothy smirk in an attempt to hide the real emotions she kept bottled up inside. "I'll be back soon! Just wait for me!" And as Saiya took off into the sky she would never see the frown that pulled at Lucy's lips or the dark glint in her usually bright eyes. "This may be the one promise I just can't keep, Saiya. I'm sorry." Lucy panted as she finally had to grab at her shoulder with her left hand as to ease the pain. _

**_"How bout' I light the entire forest up, since she refuses to come out?"_** _"Tch. Stop complaining dumb-ass." The slayer scoffed as she stepped out from behind her cover, a dangerously hard look in her golden brown eyes while she clutched onto her shoulder. **"So the princess finally reveals herself?"** Acnologia sarcastically exclaimed as he offered her a mock bow, a filthy smirk pulling at his lips all the while as his eyes never left her tiny form. Lucy's eyes darted up to meet his form as she took in his intimidating appearance. Aside from his feral smirk and overly sharp canines, his eyes were a deadly sky blue with a threatening animal like black slit in replace of his pupils. Various light and dark blue tattoos decorated his skin alongside the accompany of other random scars, adding to his 'untamed' style was his messy black locks that seemed to point out in all different directions. A simple pair of black pants and shoes covered the lower half of his body while a black flannel staid unbuttoned and exposed the entirety of his chest. _

_"Who are you? How the hell did you get here?" Lucy challenged as her heart began to pound against her chest in fear, her fight or flight senses kicking in as her stomach began to churn in uncertainty. **"Who am I?"** He chuckled as his smirk only grew in size. **"Only the infamous Dragon King! Surely you've heard of me?"** His blue eyes took on a more crazed glint as he met Lucy's gaze, an expectant expression painted on his face. Lucy, herself, swore either her heart was going to jump out of her chest at the rate it was beating or her eardrums would burst from how loud her blood was rushing in them. Despite the bubbling fear in her gut she still managed to form a coherent response in order to buy herself some more time. "Heard of you once, yeah. Not exactly sure what the fuss is all about though." She cockily responded causing his eyes to widen a fraction in surprise._

 _"You're just some senile old man with a thirst for power he doesn't have. Draco's mentioned you once before, and he was right, you're **pathetic**." For a moment a deafening silence fell upon the vast forest; all the animals fell still, the wind calmed, not even Lucy's sharp breaths were audible. That is, until, Acnologia burst out into a booming laughter. His upper body hunched forward as his shoulders wracked with every laugh that left his mouth. **"H-Holy Shit!"** Acnologia choked out between gasps as he caught his breath. **"Me? Pathetic? That's ought to be the funniest thing I've ever heard!"** He practically burst back into laughter at the thought, again. **"I'll show you who's pathetic-!" "Now that's about enough of your temper-tantrum, don't you think?"** Zeref chuckled as he stepped in front of the larger male. **"That's quite the injury you've got there."** The red eyed male stated as he gestured to the girls shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at the blond as she didn't say anything in response, something he considered awfully rude. **"You don't wish to make small talk and delay your death? So be it."** A small, cruel, smirk pulled at Zeref's lips as he watched the girl take a shaky step backward in fear. **"Need I ask if you know me, little Lucy?"** He questioned in a mocking tone._

 _"Y-you!" Lucy stuttered as her face drained of all color. "It can't be!" She stumbled backward two more steps before tripping over a tree root and onto the ground. In the blink of an eye the terrifying mage was looming over her body, oozing with an aura of dark magic, and a dangerous glint in his eyes as his hands coiled around her smaller neck. Her mind began to work in overdrive as she began to hyperventilate from the lack of oxygen reaching her lungs, panic quickly setting in as she scratched and clawed at his hands in an attempt to get them off. Lucy began to kick and thrash her body around as Zeref lifted her into the air with ease, vision beginning to blur as she continued to choke. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes as she gripped onto Zeref's wrists with what little strength she had left, feeling as if all of her energy was drained from the wound on her shoulder and her lack of breath. **"Such a pity. You were rumored to hold such promise, the fantastic protigie of the great Draco reduced to nothing more than a trembling mess. Now who's really pathetic?"**_

 _'This doesn't make sense.'_

 _Lucy thought as she quickly began to fade into an unconscious state. She couldn't fathom why she had reacted the way she did, why she was the choices she had. Why had she been so scared straight from the start? Draco was just as strong as Zeref and Acnologia, if not more. He had always faced her without ever holding back; he didn't know how. So why was she so scared? She didn't fear death. She didn't fear being tortured or being beaten. So what was it...?_

 _"I'll be back soon! Just wait for me!"_

 _Just like that the blonds eyes snapped back open and she had gripped Zeref's wrists with new-found strength. "I-I'm n-not s-scared of y-you!" Lucy choked as her own magic began to form a barrier around her. "I-It's S-Saiya I-I'm s-scared for!" Brown and golden hues began to mix until they turned bright white. **"What-?!"** Zeref was suddenly blasted backward by a starry mess before he was met with the sight of Lucy coated in gold and white scales. "That damn cat can barely fly, let alone stay around here. I'll kill anyone who threatens my family!" **"It can't be!"** Zeref and Acnologia chorused as the girls magic began to lash out around her. _

**_"Celestial Dragon Secret Art: Urano Metria!"*_**

* * *

~Present Time~

"Speaking of advances, what'd you find out about this 'Lullaby', Lucy?" Erza questioned causing a small frown to pull at the blonds lips. "Well, the Lullaby is exactly what it sounds like. When a certain song is played on this flute it uses Mass Murder Magic and sends anyone in range into an endless sleep, except its caster of course. The spells effects are immediate, meaning, once the song is played there's no way to stop people from dying." Lucy explained as she slightly clenched her fists. "A flute that has the power to kill people? How is it possible that someone could make that possible?" Gray murmured, unaware of the reaction it would rouse out of the female slayer. "It's quite simple, really. Not very much different to what I did when I bound the Ice Serpent to a key." Lucy began. No one failed to notice how tense she began to grow as she continued to speak or how her eyes darkened a shade. "All it takes is a spell and a certain amount of magic, along with the correct knowledge, to bring life to an object." "But you didn't bring the key to life, you tied a soul to an object." The raven haired ice mage countered. "I said it was similar, not the same." Lucy sighed. "Unfortunately, I am just as confused on this as Gray. Care to explain further Lucy?" Erza suggested in an attempt to get the conversation to progress. "They say that there's an immortal mage with the darkest magic anyone can possess. People call him 'The Black Wizard' and claim that he's made the most destructive weapons on the planet since his birth. Rumor has it that he used a Living Magic Spell to turn the instrument into a demon flute, giving it the ability to cast Mass Murder Magic."

"You met this guy before or something? You seem to know a lot about him." Natsu chimed in as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I.. don't know." The blond surprisingly confessed as she turned her gaze to the side. "I don't recall ever meeting him, however I've always seemed to know if something is related to him and how." She added after grabbing at her right shoulder, a seemingly conflicted expression on her face. "No matter, now's not the time to be contemplating on the past. Hundreds of lives are at stake right now. There's no telling just what Eisenwald will do with Lullaby should they succeed here." Erza exclaimed despite her growing concern for her sister figure. "You alright, Lu?" Saiya questioned with wide eyes. "Yeah." Said girl nodded her head as she snapped out of her daze and returned to her normal, sharp, witty self. "Just fine."

* * *

"Some thugs came and overthrew the train!"

"All my stuff got stolen!"

"You think wizards hijacked the train? That's what they looked like!"

"Maybe it was a dark guild!"

"Or those odd figures hanging around town lately!"

The loud complaints echoed all the way up to the cliff where the four Fairy Tail wizards and two exceeds sat, just above the small train stop that all the complaining was taking place. "That doesn't sound good." Saiya commented as she gazed out of the window alongside the blond slayer. "I could see cars and boats, but why steal a train?" Happy asked with question-marks floating above his head. "Well they're probably trying to get as far away from us as they can. Since all we have is this car that runs on magic we'd have two options; Follow them from afar and conserve energy, but risk letting them get away, or chase straight after them and burn through all of our magic." Saiya explained. "It certainly was a good move on their part." Erza sighed. "Tch. Stop worrying all the time, you'll get wrinkles on that pretty little face of yours if you do." Lucy smirked as she slung an arm around the redheads shoulder. "We'll beat these guys, no sweat. So chill out about it. If you're gonna stress about something it'd best be about our fight coming up. Cause' you know I'm gonna totally whoop your ass." Much to Natsu and Gray's amazement Erza didn't reprimand for the girls foul mouth or cocky words, and instead let out a heartfelt laugh and tossed her head back; a bright smile grazing her face.

"Well, we'll definitely defeat Eisenwald, that I believe. However, I am unsure on if it'l be my ass that gets whooped or yours." In an instant her smirk mirrored the blonds, sparks practically flying as their eyes met. "Ah, we'll see. Its a new age and I have some new tricks up my sleeve." Lucy taunted before stepping away from her. "Before we go, though, there is one thing I do need to do." The blond said as she stepped a few feet away from her team and extended her arm all the way up until her palm faced the sky. "Huh? You're really gonna use _that_ Lucy? It takes a lot of magic, are you sure?" Saiya asked with wide eyes. "Technically speaking, my magic should negate the effects of the Lullaby flute, even if for a while. We don't have any clue when Eisenwald plans to use it so I have no choice but to take a precautionary measure." Lucy answered as she shut her eyes just before a gentle wind began to form and ruffle her hair and cloak up, creating an amazing atmosphere around her.

"What's she about to do?" Happy asked as he had not followed the conversation whatsoever. "There's this spell Lucy knows that can extend her magic across a large field of land. It pushes out light magic at a constant rate, so it'l sink not only into the ground and plants but the people as well. If they do decide to play to song soon there's still a chance all these people can be saved, since they'll have all this light magic inside of their body." The silver exceed explained as a small string of golden dust began to get caught in the air stream as well. "The only problem is it makes Lucy really tired afterward. It doesn't drain as much magic as key binding, but its still enough to take a significant toll on Lucy's performance ability." The cat added. "Erza! You can't possibly be alright with her doing this?!" Natsu yelled. "Lucy is a capable mage, I trust that she knows how to make decisions that need to happen. I asked for her help on this mission for this very reason; the things Lucy does are things only she possesses." Erza smiled with a proud glint in her eyes. "Besides, you'd be amazed at how quickly that girl can regenerate her magic."

"Celestial Dragon Light Sphere!"

Eyes widened all over town in awe as a golden star bust into the air and shot to the heavens. It left a golden fixture and a trail behind it as it got closer and closer to the boundaries of earth and space, a beautiful golden fire took shape the higher and faster it got. But just as it went to break through the sky and into the galaxy above it seemed to hit an invisible like barrier before it exploded. Following this 'invisible barrier' went the gold where it painted a glittering wall. The sky, no longer blue, was a beautiful gold and looked as if it had stars painted in everywhere. It was as if the galaxy itself came to see them. But in the blink of an eye the gold vanished, alongside the shimmering stars, and returned was the cloudy blue sky.

"Luce, you alright?" "Of course." The girl scoffed as she turned on her heel and placed one hand on her hip, now facing her five friends. "Now. Shall we go?" "Yes, we've wasted enough time here. Gray get back on the roof." While a groaning Natsu and two snickering exceeds eased into the car, and Gray the roof, Erza caught the blond by her forearm; a rare glint in her eyes. "While I do see that you have come far and grown to new lengths, Lucy, I do still worry about you. Its obvious that you don't need to be constantly looked after, but you still are my little sister no matter what." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't want to see you get hurt. Advanced healing and magic regeneration doesn't give you an excuse to act reckless, alright?" A small smile pulled at Lucy's lips as she placed a hand over the redheads. "Right. But the same goes for you too. Just because you're Titania Erza doesn't mean you can waist all your magic as well. I think you sometimes forget I worry about you as well. You are my sister too, after all."

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page, then."

"Yeah."

The blond tucked a stray strand behind her ear as she and Erza turned their backs on one another, relishing in their own secret moment that went undetected by any other party. The thought made the duo's heart swell.

* * *

The car ride to Oshibana Station was left in mostly silence; aside from the small talk Happy and Saiya made or the small remarks from Gray on the roof, not to mention Natsu's pained groaning from the floor. Erza had somewhat slowed down with the speed that she drove, taking what Lucy had said into consideration, while the blond herself was meditating in an attempt to regain the energy she'd lost from casting such a large spell. "Oh! Lucy! I was supposed to tell you something!" Happy gasped as he jumped onto his feet. "Hm?" Came her non-verbal response. "Its really important!" The blue cat nodded his head in an energetic motion. "What is it, Happy? I'm trying to do something." Lucy sighed in annoyance. "You don't have to be so mean Lushy! I was just trying to tell you something!" Happy cried. "Well spit it out then." The girl rolled her eyes, still having not opened them yet from her meditation session.

"Apologize!"

"Just tell me what you wanted to say!"

"Not until you say sorry!"

"Happy!"

"Lushy!"

"Why're you so damn annoying?!"

"Uwaah! Erza! Lucy's being mean to me!"

The small argument from the back roused a small string of laughter from the woman's lips as she recalled a similar conversation concerning the blond when she had been younger. "Happy, do you want to hear a story?" "Ooh! Is it about fish!?" He asked in excitement. "No.. I'm afraid not.." Erza trailed off. "Then no. I'm good-" "When Lucy and I were children we both left on a joint mission. I had encountered her several times before and was used to her cold attitude by then. We had just finished defeating a group of wizards in a town when a boy and his mother came out to thank Lucy specifically. She had saved them from being kidnapped, you see. The poor boy, though, was so nervous that he couldn't form a coherent sentence. Lucy got so bothered by his constant stuttering that she called him annoying and told him to spit it out. This, of course, made the boy angry so he yelled at her to apologize."

"He had told her that if she 'didn't have anything nice to say then she shouldn't say anything at all'. Demanded over and over again that she apologized for being so rude and for having such foul language. He even went as far as to tell her that she'd never find a husband if she continued to speak the way she does. Eventually, Lucy got so offended by his insults that she called him an idiot. I don't think I've ever seen someone cry so hard in my life before." "Eh?! You made a little boy cry Lucy?! That's mean!" Happy yelled with wide eyes. "But, instead of letting his mother baby him any further Lucy yanked him forward by the collar of his shirt-" "AND PUNCHED HIM!" The blue exceed screamed. "-and hugged him. His father had been kidnapped as well but was not as fortunate, as he didn't survive the attack. We never did find out what he was going to tell her because we both had to leave and get back home to Magnolia. But someday you'll realize that Lucy does care, even if she does act like she doesn't."

"Tch. I remember that brat too. He had so much snot running down his nose, it was disgusting! Tried to wipe it off on my shirt too!" Lucy grumbled as she turned her gaze out to the window. "You would've forgiven him even if he did." Erza laughed as she saw the pink hue that coated the blond cheeks as she stubbornly looked at the outside scenery. "Whatever."

* * *

 _-Oshibana Station-_

"How'd I manage to end up being the once to carry this fat cow?" Lucy grunted as she shifted Natsu's unconscious body, whom was resting on her back after he not to gracefully vomited out of the window and promptly passed out before almost falling out of their moving car. "Not sure. Erza probably deemed you responsible by throwing him on your back." Gray chuckled at the small pout that grazed her lips. "I oughta smack her in the back of the head for being so rude." The girl grumbled as she glared at said warrior; who was knocking out innocent workers left and right because they wouldn't tell her what happened to the station itself, not that she ever did give them the chance to respond. "Oh, and Gray?" "Yeah?" "Your clothes.." "Agh! When did those disappear?!" The blond couldn't help but roll her eyes and snicker in amusement as she watched the raven haired ice mage run around to find his clothes, especially so when he almost got knocked out by an old lady swinging a purse around for 'being a pervert and scaring her granddaughter away with his nakedness.' "Don't say a word." Gray glared at the girl when she slapped a hand over her mouth to suppress her laughter when she saw the various red bumps that covered his head.

"Its ok Gray," Lucy sighed as she placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, seemingly innocent with her actions and words. "I won't tell the guild you acted like a little bitch when she first hit ya'!" "Oi!" Instead of lashing out at her for embarrassing him, Gray found himself stunned to silence and frozen as he watched Lucy's shoulders shake with laughter to the point where her eyes brimmed with tears. "Y-you should've seen your face! It was like you felt the wrath of god!" She giggled. "You're an idiot." Gray couldn't help but laugh too and place a hand on her head. "I'm glad you're a member of the guild, Lucy. It feels like you've been with us forever." He confessed. "Gray?" "Yeah?" "Your shirt." "Not again!"

"Listen up! I've found out that Eisenwald is inside." Erza yelled as she stomped up to Lucy and Gray. "What're we waiting for then? Lets show these guys who's boss!" "Lucy?" Erza turned her attention over to the blond. "I'm always ready to fight. No need to even ask me." She smirked. "I look forward to fighting alongside you in battle again." "Likewise, Erza. Likewise."

* * *

As soon as the Fairy Tail members stepped foot into the station they were on guard. Everyone moved swiftly and silently down the halls, sharp eyes scanning where they moved for any signs of danger. "Somethings up ahead, get ready." Lucy spoke in a hushed tone as they came upon a set of stairs. "T-they've all been wiped out!" Saiya gasped as she spotted the soldiers that were sent in to deal with the dark guild. "Saiya." Lucy's voice took a serious tone as she looked down on all their injured bodies. "Take Happy and get everyone to a hospital. Make sure they get treated right away." Instead of arguing about how she wanted to stay the silver exceed nodded her head. "Right. I'll check and see if there's any traces of Lullaby's magic when we get there, just in case. C'mon Happy! We have to hurry!" Erza, Gray and Lucy watched as the two exceeds flew off with several injured soldiers, quickly vanishing as they turned the corner. "Lucy, let's go. We have to be close by now." Erza suggested as she watched the blond shift Natsu, again, before nodding her head.

"Any sign of the Lucy?" Gray asked in suspicion as it was far too quiet when they walked through the wooden doors and into a more open space where people would normally board the trains. "No.." She narrowed her eyes as she looked around. "Erza look out!" An explosion forced a could of dirt and debris to cloud the air, hindering everyone's vision and left them vulnerable to any attack. "What happened?!" Gray questioned as he got into a fighting stance. "I'm not exactly sure. It seems Lucy saw something before we did and took charge of the situation." Erza responded as she tightened the sword that appeared in her hand. Within a minute the dust settled and left a sight that no one expected to see.

There Lucy stood in all of her glory in what was the most revealing outfit anyone had ever seen her in, fighting off several shadow attacks that threatened to break forward and injure her nakama. Her golden blond hair was parted into two sections and braided down on either side of her face while a brown cowboy hat covered the top of her head. Venturing lower was a cow-print vest with two golden buttons. It stopped just above her hips and exposed her stomach and lower back, shoulders and arms (where a small diagonal scar could be seen if you squinted), but also pushed out an ample amount of cleavage. A short pair of brown shorts covered the lower half of her body, adorned with a black belt that had a large golden buckle on the front with a bull engraved to the center. Her whip and keys were also attached to the belt, though her normal belt of colorful scales was nowhere to be found. Lastly, a pair of brown cowboy boots protected her feet all the way up to her shins. It was perhaps the large black and gold axe in her hands that was the most interesting, though.

"H-how is she blocking them all?!" Kageyama gritted his teeth as he sent attack after attack at the blond and her comrades. Gray's eyes widened as Lucy jumped backward to avoid the fists made of shadows before swinging the axe out in front of her, sending a sharp blade of air to shoot outward and not only counter all of the shadow mage's attacks but send a large portion of the Eisenwald members crashing into the walls on the other side of the room. "Which one of you goes by the title, 'Erigor the Reaper'?" Lucy demanded as her eyes finally revealed themselves from under her hat. "We don't have to tell you anything-!" "Well now that's enough. So you Fairy Tail Flies finally made it into my station, have you?" Erigor snickered from on top of one of the announcement systems. "Give me the Lullaby Flute and maybe I'll consider not beating you to death before turning you in to the council?" The girl snarled as she narrowed her eyes into a dangerous glare.

 _"How filthy."_ Erigor spoke in an acidic tone as he clicked his tongue in distaste. "You legal guild members thing you're so much better than everyone. Coming into my station uninvited, demanding things that don't belong to you, and even going as far at to threaten _me_." Lucy's grip on her axe by then was so hard her knuckles had turned white. "But all you flies fail to realize that us dark guild members are people too! We deserve to have the rights that were so wrongfully stolen from us! Do be grateful, for you have the pleasure to be apart of this wonderful cleansing. The world will finally realize what happens when you steal something so precious!" The crazed man sneered. "Just how stupid could you possibly be?!" Lucy snapped causing everyone's eyes to widen at the intensity of her anger. "You honestly believe that killing all these innocent people will help you gain your rights back?! Here's a newsflash for you! Your rights were taken away because you abused the power that came with them! People like you make me sick!" She finished off her statement with a snarl.

"Boohoo, how sad." Kageyama sneered after he crouched down so his hands could touch the floor. "This is a new age of darkness! Its too bad that you light guilds'l never see it coming when it hits you though!" He laughed as his shadows sprang up just in front of the blond. What no one expected was for Natsu to jump up and skillfully block the attack with a fiery fist. "Took you long enough, idiot. I'm glad to see you're done playing possum." Lucy scoffed as she eyed the slayer from the corners of her eyes. "I have no time to waste on these insolent fools. Take care of them and show the world the power of the Eisenwald Guild!" Erigor exclaimed as he levitated into the air before disappearing. "Natsu, Gray, I need you both to go after Erigor and stop him!" Erza exclaimed as she stepped up to stand next to her younger sister. "Lucy and I can take care of things here. I'm positive that if you both work together not even he can stop you."

* * *

"Its such a shame we'll have to ruin those pretty little faces of yours."

"What can two measly girls do on their own?"

"This'l be a piece of cake!"

"I could do this with my eyes closed!"

"Just a bunch of damn broads."

The group of wizards were unaware of the consequence their taunting words brought on; unaware of Erza's boiling rage of not only the disrespect shown toward her guild but her sister as well. "Should you insult my guild or Lucy once more, I swear you'll never see the light of day!" With a battle-cry the redhead shot words, one magic sword in hand, and charged straight at a group of the enemy mage's. "Get her!" Their words were reduced to nothing more than pained cried when she had sliced straight through their weapons and into their bodies, successfully breaking bones or simply knocking them out. While the wiser ones attempted to use their magic Erza simply dodged the attacks with ease and summoned different weapons to take them down. "Oi! Leave some for me why don't ya'?!" Lucy yelled as she sprinted past the s-class mage. Her revealing outfit no longer covered her skin and was replaced with her usual black cloak, which fluttered in the wind behind her. "Celestial Dragon Cosmic Ray!" The blond jumped high into the air and pointed both of her wrists at one another while she flexed her hands backward, allowing a large beam of explosive blue, green and gold magic to shoot out of her palms and onto her enemies below. "Celestial Dragon Roar!" Lucy slid back on the tips of her toes and her fingertips, stopping beside Erza with a small string of breaths.

"Open! Gate of the Crab: Cancer!" "You called, baby?" Said spirit appeared in a flash of blinding white light. "Take out as many as you can." Lucy simply explained as she stood up and dusted off her cloak. "I see you're quite fond of that cloak." Erza smirked. "What can I say?" Lucy's fist lit up in a golden light as she punched two more wizards away. "A good friend gave it to me."* The two Fairy Tail members fought bravely alongside one celestial spirit, taking the Eisenwald mage's out left and right but they had seemed to be coming from left and right with no foreseeable end. "I suppose its time to use this! Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor! Dance, my swords: Circle Sword!" As Erza's array of spinning swords launched through the crowd Lucy summoned up one of her larger attacks as well. "Celestial Dragon Star Cluster!" Just as its name suggested, a cluster of multi-colored stars shot into the air and gleamed brightly under the natural light of the sun. The Eisenwald guild members were too entranced by its beautiful appearance to remember that it was a spell the slayer had just cast. The majority had been crushed when the stars plummeted down from the ceiling back to the solid ground, but everyone else was blasted away when the stars exploded into thousands of particles that send ferocious winds in every direction.

"I-I knew it! I-it's Titania Erza and her sister, the Ruler of the Stars!" Karacka cried as Happy and Saiya made their appearance. "I h-have to get out of here!" He added before fleeing the room. "Happy, lets go after him." Saiya surprisingly exclaimed as she caught the blue exceed by his tail. "Huh? But why can't Lucy-?" "We're leaving, now." After the two cats flew away it left Erza and Lucy alone in the vast station as they attempted to catch their breath. "You s-should go with them, you know." Erza panted as she squinted at the blond. "And leave your s-sorry ass here alone? Yeah right." She scoffed in an attempt to cover up how exhausted she actually felt. Choosing to ignore this obvious fact, Erza continued; "You've gotten a new trick." She exclaimed in relation to her outfit from before. "Its called Celestial Fusion. I can take on the abilities of my spirits." Lucy offered her lame and poorly explained response with a small sigh as she bent forward until her elbows touched her knees so she could rest all of her upper body weight on her legs. "Hey. You good?" the blond questioned her friend as she watched her from the corners of her eyes. "Yes. Stay here and catch your breath while I make an announcement." "You don't have to tell me twice." Lucy grunted as she laid down on top of the debris covered ground to catch her breath. Little did she know she wouldn't be able to catch it just yet.

"What's that sound?" Lucy murmured to herself as she sat upright, straining her hearing to identify what was the cause of the distinct flapping sound she'd heard. "Erza-!" Just as the blond sprang up to her feet and went to dive out onto the patio she was violently thrown backward by a spinning wall of wind and was send crashing into the ground that formed a deep crater upon her impact. "Damn it!" The girl cursed as she wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth. "Erza!" Lucy yelled as she yet again threw herself against the wind barrier, this time a thick patch of golden scales protecting her arms from the blast of the wall. Sparks scratched at her skin as she pushed against the barrier only to be thrown backward once more when Erza suddenly came sliding through the other side. Just as she'd previously done, Erza threw herself against the barrier as well and injured her arm in the process.

 _To be continued.._

* * *

 _ **A/N: A couple of things-**_

 ** _1) Normally I'd have finished this arc (if you consider these episodes that) all in one chapter. I just honestly haven't been feeling well these past few days and don't think I could finish it if I tried, and I don't want to put off publishing this chapter any longer._**

 _ **2) Sorry if this chapter came out really emotional/sappy. I wanted to further progress the sister-like relationship between Erza and Lucy (-not to mention that I was listening to the Drops of Time OST part of the time I was writing this..)**_

 ** _3) I know this chapter came out really late, like I said I haven't been feeling well (or sleeping well for that matter). I also had a wedding I had to attend in the mountains last weekend and had no internet access._**

 ** _~If this chapter is utter crap please let me know. I'm really tired and rewrote everything about 50 times. If its really bad I'll go back and fix things when I have time._**

 ** _*If I can I'll write the next episode and try to push out that chapter tonight as well, I'm not going to make any promises though._**

 _ **I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO Trewill91 FOR GIVING ME THE IDEA OF MAKING URANO METRIA INTO ONE OF LUCY'S DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ARTS ~THANK YOUUU**_

 _ ***If anyone was confused (I thought it was pretty clear but just in case) Erza is the one who gave Lucy her cloak.**_

 _Lastly (in case anyone wanted to know) I have my first Marching Band Competition of the season this Saturday so I've been jam-packed with practices and work, because our shows not yet finished. I also don't have school Wednesday so I'll definitely update then, but I have practice Friday instead so no new chapter(s) then -sorry :(_

 **Like always, let me know what you thought of this chapter. I really enjoy reading all of your reviews and feedback, thanks again Trewill91 for your idea. Feel free to PM me if you ever wanna talk.**

 **Thanks**

 **-xxTheNightmarebeforexx**


	6. Chapter 6

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

* * *

 _~3rd person P.O.V~_

"Celestial Dragon Wing Attack!" Lucy yelled out before she was thrown back by Erigor's Wind Barrier for what felt the hundredth time. "Damn it!" The girl gritted her teeth as she wrapped an arm around her side, gently cradling her previously healed ribs that were now broken again. "Oi! Lucy! You're just gonna hurt yourself more if you keep doing that!" Gray, who had entered the station several minutes before, exclaimed as he watched the already injured girl hit the ground again. "I'm fine!" Said slayer insisted as she rose from a pile of debris. "Not even Lucy's Dragon Slaying Magic can break through the barrier, as you can see." Erza sighed in anger at the predicament she and her friends had suddenly found themselves in. "And from what Rayule said to you means the Guild Masters are in danger as well." Her eyes darkened, as well as Gray and Lucy, at the very thought of the old wizards being threatened in such a way. "Celestial Fusion: Tarus!" In a flash of blinding light, Lucy's appearance changed to that of what she'd worn several moments before, a tight vest and a pair of combat shorts while a large golden axe materialized in her hands. "Hey! I thought I told you to quit it!" Gray chided as he watched the blond turn the weapon in her hands. "Sorry, but I don't exactly fancy the idea of all these innocent lives being in danger." She sarcastically apologized before launching herself at the barrier once more.

Sparks flew out in all directions once the axe made contact with the barrier and gradually pushed the blond back a few inches as she fought against the gravity trying to send her flying. Grinding her teeh, Lucy pushed on the weapon with more force than before and began to squint as the proximity of the sparks to her body grew close. At the very last second, just before she could be thrown backward again, an arm yanked the girl back and protected herself from injuring herself further. "While I admire your drive, getting hurt even more isn't going to help anyone. So calm down and save your breath while Erza and I think up a plan; you've done enough." Gray exclaimed as he looked down on Lucy's injured self in concern. Scratches and cuts marred her previously flawless skin, riddled with dirt and dry sweat, while dark purple and blue bruises covered other large portions of her body; not to mention how bad her ribs actually looked. "Do you want some ice for your-?" "No." Lucy cut the boy off before he could finish speaking, quickly stepping away from his body in order to create space between them. "Thank you, though." She stiffly added before returning to her normal clothes. "Are you blushing?" The raven haired ice mage snickered as he spotted the pink hue to her cheeks. "Its nothing personal, Gray. Lucy just doesn't like showing much skin." Erza explained with a small laugh.

"Now the real question is how we'll ever get out of here?" Gray coughed as the previous tension from before returned. "Well," Lucy began as she ran a hand through her hair that had fallen out sometime in the midst of her attempts to escape. "I'm sure that one of Eisenwald's Wizards is a dispeller, someone had to undo the Magic Seal on the Lullaby Flute, and Erigor wouldn't risk not bringing them here. We just have to find out who it is and where they are." The blond explained as she lazily examined the cuts on her hands, unaware to the surprised expressions sent her way from Erza and Gray. "Got any clue on who it could be though Lucy?" "No." She shook her head. "Wait! Back at the bar when I'd first encountered Eisenwald they mentioned someone named Kage! If we find him I'm sure we can get out of here and past the barrier." Erza gasped as the memory reached her brain. "Lets start looking! Lucy, can you try and trace a scent that doesn't belong to any of the exceeds or Natsu and Gray?" Erza questioned causing the girl to slightly scrunch up her nose. "Its a complicated job... but I can try." Lucy nodded her head.

* * *

If she was being completely honest with herself, Lucy felt like a complete idiot as she trudged through the station halls with Erza and Gray practically down her throat. they were so close. With her nose turned up in the air, accompanied by the constant silence otherwise disturbed by her sniffing, she felt like an animal. Erza and Gray had it easy, she would remind herself. They didn't have to sort through the different mixtures of scents and determine which belonged to everyday people, Fairy Tail, or Eisenwald. They didn't have to smell the other putrid things either, something rotting inside the walls or other disgusting smells from some of the rooms they'd passed. So while Lucy had to suffer like a dog and trace the smell of a mage that she didn't know, while the duo behind her had to follow her lead? Yeah, they certainly did have it easy. But just as she'd felt that all hope was lost; that her sense of smell would forever be numb from the horrors she'd traced, the building began to shake and the familiar voice of an obnoxious slayer met her ears. Picking up her pace the blond and her two comrades turned down the corner of a hallway revealing two new smells. One she immediately recognized as the pinkette's; cinnamon and firewood, while the other what she could only assume was Kage's which was more of that of a rainy day.

"Snake Shadow!" Gray, Erza and Lucy heard a male voice yell followed by Natsu's voice; "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Which, of course, was followed by the sound of something breaking.

"Natsu! Don't hurt him! We need him!" Lucy exclaimed as she came barreling into the room. But it didn't come as much of a surprise when the boy followed through with his second attack and sent Kageyama crashing into the wall by a fire covered fist. A sheepish grin crossed the slayers face as he rubbed the back of his head knowing he'd done something he wasn't supposed to; his face turned stark white and his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as a certain redhead jumped into the air with gleaming red eyes and a shadow cast across her face, one magical sword in hand, only to completely disregard his existence and target the shadow mage instead. "You will dispell the wind barrier outside at once without hesitation the second I ask you! Got it?!" Erza demanded with a venomous hiss, her eyes like daggers. "D-do it man!" Natsu stuttered in fear. "F-fine! I'll do it!"

And while it seemed like things had finally taken a brighter turn for the Fairy Tail mages, the same rotting scent Lucy had detected from before filled the tiny room and sent both slayers slapping hands over their noses in an attempt to block the putrid smell. "Damn Gray! If you had to fart that bad you should've left the room!" Natsu groaned. A bright red tickmark formed on the boys face before he replied; "I didn't far you idiot matchstick!" The raven haired ice mage barked in anger. "You smell that too, don't you Luce? Tell him!" The pinkette yelled as he turned to face the girl only to freeze as he'd noticed the look on her face. Her eyes were wide in surprise and her mouth parted slightly in disbelief while her arm had fallen limp by her side as she'd looked at what he could only assume was Kageyama. In a split second her expression morphed into something more dangerous with her lips pulled back in a small snarl, enough so you could see her sharp canines, and her eyes more like slits as she looked at a new figure in fury. "Kage!" Erza yelled in surprise as the deadly injured mage slumped forward and hit the ground due to the severe injury Karacka, his guildmate, had given him. The green haired wizard pulled his arm out of Kageyama's body and held it closer to his chest as he'd looked out at all the Fairy Tail members in surprise at his own actions.

 _"He was your guildmate!" Lucy stated as she clenched her fists by her sides._

 _"And you!..." She paused in fury._

 ** _"You tried to kill him!"_**

Karacka quickly began to tremble in fear at the terrifying behavior Lucy began to emit as well as from how much power her glare alone seemed to hold. He retreated back into the walls in fear, hoping that the rocky earth material would protect him from the slayer's anger; a bad choice on his part as it only served to fuel the blond on even further.

 ** _"Celestial Dragon Iron Fist!"_**

The fat mage was sent spiraling into the next room over and onto the hard wall, nothing more than a bruised and slightly charred mess from the power of the girls attack. "Kage! Kage wake up! We need you!" Erza yelled as she violently shook at his unconscious body in an attempt to wake him up. She was suddenly brushed aside as Lucy bent down to examine the wounds on his chest before she extended her arms outward until her palms were directly over his injuries. "Celestial Dragon Ejecta*." A white light began to emit from her hands and engulfed Kageyama's body in a gentle-like embrace. Within moments color had returned to his previously pale complexion and the gash on his stomach looked less deadly and life threatening. "He's not entirely healed, I've just stopped his injuries from worsening for a small duration of time. He'll stille have to see a hospital and be bandaged up." Lucy simply explained as she straightened out her legs and stood upright. "Lu?" Saiya murmured as she flew closer to the blond. "Are you alright? You've been using a lot of magic today.." She trailed off in worry. "Mm. Just a bit tired." The girl offered her silver exceed a small smile and brushed her hand over her head as she walked by. "I'll be fine though." She added.

* * *

The first thing Natsu had done when Erza had informed him of what exactly Erigor had planned to do was run at the barrier with a fire covered fist and try to break out. Much like Lucy, he continued to try again each time he was sent back into the ground. "That's what happens when you try and get through the barrier. And now that Kage's been knocked out, there's no way we'll get through." Gray said with a conflicted expression. "I have to keep trying! I can't just stand around while those old geezers lives are on the line!" Natsu roared as he moved to launch at the barrier again, only to get a hard fist to the face which promptly sent him into the ground as well. "Reason doesn't work with people like you so I'll give it to you straight. Right now all of us are utterly useless. We're trapped and there's nothing we can do about it." Lucy coldly snapped. "But-!" "There is no but's! Our magic doesn't work against this! Trust me, I've tried!" It was in that moment that he suddenly took notice of the tattered state she stood in, eyes growing wide in realization. "M-Maybe you can summon one of those weird spirits of yours! I can hop on one and get to the other side!" The boy wagered with high hopes. "I would have to be on the other side of the barrier for that to work. I told you already, I've tried everything."

 _"I'll just bust us out of here then! You haven't seen nothin' yet!"_

And just like that, he was at it again. Natsu jumped at the barrier and dug his shoulder into the wind in an attempt to push through the 'wall', only to be forced back again. "I told you to stop already! You're gonna kill yourself idiot!" Though it was narcissistic of her to say it, since she had done the same things he had only minutes before, Lucy wrapped her arms around his body and held him back so he couldn't blindly rush at the barrier again. At the very contact of her body against his, Natsu's heart began to pound against his chest. The pinkette turned his head to look down at the blond with wide eyes, who's were squeezed shut as she tightened her grip on his vest (very well due to the fact that she was experiencing the same reaction as Natsu was) before Happy cried out;

 _"Lucy I remembered what I was trying to tell you in the car! Look!"_

Small blue paws reached into his knapsack to reveal a familiar golden key that belonged to one of the spirits of the Zodiac. "What the hell?!" Lucy screeched as she quickly snatched the item up from his fingers. "Woah Happy! Where'd you get that?!" Saiya gaped as she sat on the blonds shoulder and admired the key alongside her master. "After we destroyed Everlue's mansion, Virgo came to me and asked if I'd give you the key Lucy!" The exceed explained. "We're wasting time talking about some stupid spirit. What we need to be talking about is how we'll get out of-" Gray choked on his words as he felt the icy glare Lucy sent directly toward his body, shivering as it was far colder than anything he'd ever felt before. "Oh yeah?" Lucy hissed as her glare darkened. "What if I told you that this 'stupid spirit' could get us out of here?" She smugly exclaimed before swiping said key through the air.

"I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits, and now I beckon you to my side at once! Pass through the gate! Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"

Springing out from the ground and high into the air came the pink haired maid equipped with a full dress and chains around her wrists. "You summoned me, Mistress?" Before Lucy had the chance to respond, however, Natsu Dragneel had to come and cut her off. "Huh?! But I thought you were bigger!" Natsu bluntly yelled as he slung an arm around the blonds shoulder. "You mean like this?" The spirits voice dropped on octave as she suddenly grew in size causing Gray to suddenly shiver in fear. "Yeah!" "I must apologize then, for I know my mistress prefers me in my smaller form." Virgo bowed as she returned to her smaller version. "Virgo, I'm sorry we don't have enough time to work out a contract yet, but can you dig a hole under this wind barrier for me?" "Anything you desire Mistress." The pink haired spirit responded as she eyed the whip on her belt. "Ah, don't call me Mistress either. Anything but that, please." Lucy sighed.

 _"Princess it is!"_

"W-what?!" For the second time that day the blonds face turned bright pink. "You said anything I liked, Princess is only a fitting title for you, Lucy-san." "I-I see.." "I shall get straight to work then, Hime*." Virgo bowed before diving into the ground. "Look at how quick she is!" "Fantastic Job Lucy!" While Gray got prepared to jump into the newly dug hole, he turned around to watch Natsu and Lucy as they both lifted Kageyama up from the ground. "And just what are you two doing?" "Leaving him here to die would mean that we're heartless. I wouldn't dirty the guilds name like that." Natsu grunted. "It would also mean that we're no different than them. He's only walking this path because of something that happened to him. The past doesn't define the future after all." Lucy added in response to the slayers comment.

* * *

"Fear not Hime! I'll hold your boobs down!" Virgo yelled out-loud with no hint of shame as she openly groped the girl. "O-Oi! Don't touch me there!" The blond squeaked in embarrassment while Gray had a nosebleed in the background. "It's no use, you know." Kageyama weakly murmured. "You'll never catch up with Erigor. We've already won!" He smirked. "Saiya! Lets go! We need to catch up with Natsu and Happy-!" Before she could get far, an iron like fist met her stomach and sent her mind crashing into darkness. "E-Erza?" Was all she could muster before passing out. "Erza?! What'd you do that for?!" Gray asked with wide eyes. "I've known Lucy the longest so there's no way any of you would've realized it, but she's extremely low on her magic reserves. She'd only be a threat to herself by going after Natsu, wherever that is."

"What'd you guys do to me?" Kageyama questioned as he looked down at his bandaged wounds. " _We_ didn't do anything. It was Lucy. She apparently cast this spell and used up the last of her magic just so she could heal _you_." Gray responded as he looked out the window. "Why'd you take me with you?" "Again, it was Lucy. Something about how you'd have to see a doctor." "If you think you can use me as leverage against Erigor you're dead wrong. He could care less about anything other than himself and his plans-" "Listen. If you wanna go off and die I can specifically make that happen, but try and show some appreciation to the fact that someone is actually looking out for you. _There's a whole lot more to this world than life and death, you know. You should try to look for the positive*."_ Out of nowhere the car hit a bump and sent all three mage's in the back flying. Before Lucy could smother Kageyama with her lower half, Gray caught her body and pushed her safely back into the chair. This was gonna be a long ride, he could tell.

 _"Erza I'm gonna kill you!"_

Lucy screamed as she bolted upright, startling both males in the seat across from her as they rolled up on Natsu and Happy's location. She quickly bolted out of the car only to freeze as she'd saw how drained the redhead actually was, choosing to instead help her down onto the tracks rather than punch her back. "Now who's the exhibitionist?" Gray sneered at he spotted the half dressed slayer. "Shut up Gray. Hey Luce, gimme your clothes-" "As if you pervert!" In the midst of Erza's congratulations, Kageyama went speeding by in their car with the Lullaby Flute in his hands. "The flute's mine now, suckers!" His laugh echoing down the canyon as he sped down the train tracks. "Correction," Lucy exclaimed as her bangs fell over her eyes. _"I'm gonna kill him!"_

* * *

"Look there he is!"

"Master!"

"I'm gonna kill that idiot!"

"He'll pay for targeting-"

 **"Shhh!"**

All four mages jumped in fear as Master Bob had suddenly come up from behind them, Natsu and Gray falling to nothing more than a shivering mess as he'd quickly come to flirt with them both. "Keep it down would ya'? I'm trying to watch the show here." Goldmine sighed as he looked at the group of four with a slight smirk. "Man, you both are just as annoying as I remember you to be." Lucy surprisingly sighed as she tilted her head upward so she could watch the sky. "The weak will always be the weak, nothing can ever change that." Makarov explained with his back turned to Kageyama. "But that is also the reason why guilds are formed," He tilted his head backward to meet the mage's gaze. "And why we have friends." He'd dropped the flute to the floor with a clatter and dropped to his knees in defeat. "I surrender." "Yeah! Good job Master!" Natsu cheered as he'd jumped down from the small cliff, Erza Graya nd Lucy following close behind. "W-wha?! How did you get here- Lucy you're hurt, _again_!"

Everyone froze as a giant purple seal suddenly burst into the air as the Lullaby Flute began to emit sparks, Team Natsu's eyes snapping upward in disbelief as it suddenly began to take a new form. There Lullaby stood in all of its glory, high above the mountains, as it loomed over Fairy Tail and the guild-masters. "Now, which one of you shall I eat first?" A warped voice echoed through the land as Lucy stepped forward with Saiya by her side. Turning its head to the right, the demon let off a string of its magic from its mouth, and destroyed an entire mountain from a magic explosion. "Lets do this!" Saiya cheered as she scooped Lucy up and went flying into the air. "Max Speed!" The unsuspecting demon flute was caught by surprise when the blond was suddenly in front of its face, a large smirk pulling at her lips before she confidently called out; "Celestial Dragon Wing Attack!" The attack hit its eye sockets with incredible force and sent the demon stumbling back a few steps, giving Lucy the opportunity to look back at her four friends. "We doing this or what?!"

"Requip: Heavens Wheel Armor!"

"Ice Make: Lance!"

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

"Celestial Dragon Roar!"

The demon flute threw its head back and got prepared to play its song, only to have something surprising to happen; no sound came out. The power of the four mage's attacks had formed so many holes in its body that no notes could be played. This of course made the demon even angrier.

"Ice Make: Shield!"

"Requip: Black Winged Armor!"

"Ice Make: Saucer!"

"Unison Raid: Celestial Fire Dragon Roar!"

"While I'm glad you four defeated the Lullaby Flute," Makarov began with his eyes shut. "Did you have to go so overboard!?" He screeched, gesturing to the gaping hole in the center of the field where the conference hall had once stood. "On a more serious note, Lucy," His expression turned serious rather than dumbfounded. "We need to get you to Porlyusica." Too bad for him the blond was already sleeping on her pink haired partner.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm tired and don't really have much to say, haha.**_

 _ **Practice tomorrow and Friday, Comp. Saturday = No updates**_

 ** _*Ejecta: Material from beneath the surface of a body such as a moon or planet that is ejected by an impact such as a meteor and distributed around the surface. Usually appears as a lighter color than the surrounding surface._**

 ** _^I don't know why I choose to use this word in relation to healing, I just thought it sounded cool and went with it.._**

 _ ***Hime: Japanese word for Princess. I'll normally refer to Lucy as Hime when Virgo is speaking rather than Princess, I just think it sounds better.**_

 _*This is an actual quote from the anime/manga; I don't own it._

 ** _And to the guest that asked me if I went to Clements High School, no I'm sorry I don't._**

 ** _Leave a review, favorite and follow pls_**

 ** _-xxTheNightmareBeforexx_**

 ** _(Goodnight~)_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!**_

 _*Please read the AU at the end, thanks~_

* * *

 _~At the Fairy Tail Guild~_

As if the tension boiling around Erza Scarlet's arrest and her reckless friends actions wasn't enough, no one in the Fairy Tail guild except Master Makarov himself knew what was going on with their new, and severely injured, guild mate. Said man refused to give up any information concerning the girls condition to even Saiya, going as far as to ban anyone from entering the infirmary where Lucy slept without his permission. "You seem awfully stressed Master. Are you sure you don't want to send anyone after Natsu and Erza?" Mirajaine's melodic voice questioned. "I am sure Erza will be fine. Not to mention that Natsu can make his own decisions and deal with its consequences. Its not those two that I am worried about." The elder wizard explained with his eyes shut in exhaustion. "So its Lucy that's worrying you?" The silver haired barmaid hinted. "I've already told you all that you don't need to concern yourself with her condition. Carry on with your normal schedule, she will be fine." Makarov sighed. "But she obviously isn't _fine_ since you refuse to tell anyone what's going on!"

Mirajaine placed her trembling hands on the counter and took a breath to calm herself before continuing. "None of this is fair, you know. What you're doing isn't right." "Mira you have to understand-" "No!" She snapped as she shook her head. "You need to understand that treating Erza specially isn't fair! You need to understand that hiding this from the guild isn't fair! You.. You need to understand that Lucy is my friend too, even if she doesn't remember it!" A frown came to the woman's face as several concerned faces turned her way at the outburst, thoroughly confused as to what she was yelling about. "I know you want to help her Master. I know you want to protect her the way you couldn't all those years ago, the way none of us could. But secluding Lucy and hiding her from the world won't solve anything and surely wouldn't make her feel welcome in this family."

A loud 'smack' echoed through the guild as the doors were suddenly thrown open, a tall pink haired woman strolling in with a visible scowl as she scanned the room. "Where's the girl." Porlyusica spat in her usual condescending tone. "Back in the infirmary sleeping, I'll bring you to her." Master Makarov coughed as he felt Mirajaines piercing stare on his back. While the two elder mages walked away to tend to Lucy's injures Mirajaine busied herself by polishing a glass cup, unaware to the fact that her crushing grip sent several cracks running up and down its sides. "Uh Mira? I think that cup is cleaned.." Macao trailed off. "H-huh?" The silver haired woman gasped as she spotted the rigid cracks, eyes growing wide in surprise before her cheeks flushed in embaressment. "O-Oh my! I apologize! My mind just trailed off and I don't know what happened.." Mirajaine giggled nervously causing everyone to sigh in relief.

"Enough with this depressing ass atmosphere. Chin up already." Cana groaned before taking two swigs of her wine. "Erza can sure as hell take care of herself and Natsu is too hardheaded to go down by the Council's hand. And from what I've heard out newest blond can handle some scratches without dying. So how bout' we get some drinks going around and strike up a party for when all three of our wizards are back?" The brunette wagered with a lazy grin as several whistles rang through the crowd in agreement.

 _"If you live in the past then you deserve no future. You made a mistake, deal with it. Now you have to live for your sister just like how Erza and I live for one another. She's always been kind to me so I'm sure she'll be the same to you, even if you are both rivals. Now chin up, pretty girls like you aren't supposed to cry. Besides we're all family here, right?"_

Mirajaine felt her frown fall from her face and in its place was a small, gentle, smile as the memory flashed through her brain. "What was it that you wanted Cana? More red wine or another barrel of beer?" "Ah, why not both?" The drunkard chuckled before the guild began to regain their usual senses. "Coming right up!"

* * *

Meanwhile, silence fell upon the infirmary as Master Makarov watched Porlyusica examine the sleeping blond slayer from beside her bed. "I recall asking you to bring her to see me, not the other way around Makarov." The woman exclaimed, effectively breaking the deafening silence. "I wasn't sure that it would be safe considering her condition." He responded. "I can see that." Porlyusica sighed. "For the most part her physical injuries are the only thing you should worry about at this moment. Because she's a dragon slayer she hasn't been killed by them but that doesn't mean she'll sustain anything more than what she already has." She began to explain. "But, there is a darker problem beneath all of this. Her magic is depleting which is why her body isn't restoring itself as it previously has."

"Now, this is a rare disease but one that is possible to happen under three specific circumstances. One being that a toxin enters the body and causes a wizards magic to decay. But these effects normally show up quickly or the infected host will die, so it's unlikely this is the cause of Lucy's problem. The second possibility could be that it has run frequently in her family history, a genetic disease likely from her parents. However, families normally take steps to prevent their child from ever being associated with this skill. And considering her unique magic abilities I doubt this is the cause either." "And the last cause?" Makarov dared to question despite the uneasy feeling in his gut. "The final cause of magic deficiency could be from a sort of 'parasite'. Something that latches onto a host and sucks their energy dry until they die." Porlyusica sighed. "Specifically to this case, a spirit bound to a key could drain its masters energy."

"But how could that make any sense? Lucy is contracted to several other keys and they've never taken this type of toll on her before!" The pink haired doctor found herself looking down at the unconscious, sweating, blond with a small frown pulling at her lips. "While that is true, none of her other spirits were bound to a key by _her_ power. These keys were forged centuries ago and took ages to complete, not five minutes. Groups of wizards poured countless hours of energy into making these keys, hundreds of wizards gathered at a time to make a single piece of the key. Not just one single person. My guess is that this spirit is getting greedy and is having a good time, sitting back, eating away at all of her magic." Master Makarov felt the weight of the world on his shoulders as he tried to take a deep calming breath before asking; "What can we do about it then? Break the key?"

"Are you an idiot?" Porlyusica scoffed. "If you try and break the key there's no telling what this spirit could do. It could kill the girl or even us. This spirit is essentially bound to her soul by a tiny string, living and feeding off of her existence. How would you react if someone came to your bedside and tried to unplug the only machine keeping you alive? Breaking the key isn't an option." "If this spirit is living off of Lucy's life then why is it taking so much of her magic, I'm sure it know's it could kill her." Porlyusica's eyes darkened a noticeable shade before she turned to face Fairy Tails Master, a more than serious expression plastered across her face. "That I do not know. What I do know though is that your little Dragon Slayer knows something about this spell that we don't. And I'm sure that spirit knows it too, hence the reason why its draining all of her magic."

Silence fell upon the room once more and it truly seemed like there was no hope for the dangerous situation Lucy found herself in. That is until the doctor spoke once more. "There is one thing we can do for the girl, I'm positive neither of you will like it though." Porlyusica exclaimed. Master Makarov sucked in a sharp breath as the woman explained her life saving plan, a heavy weight crushing his heart as he slowly agreed to her offer. _"Bring me Levy McGarden and Freed Justine."_

* * *

 _-"You can't be serious Master! This could kill her!"_

 _-"This will be a painful process. Someone will need to hold her down, unconscious or not. I'm sure the pain will wake her up either way."_

 _-"I refuse to take part in this! I won't strip Lucy of her basic rights!"_

 _-"This is the only way, I wish we could do something else but we can't."_

 _-"It could scar. Are you sure you want me to do this?"_

 _-"Would you man up? We're saving her life. Who cares about a little scar anyways? She already has one."_

 _-"She could leave the guild! She'll never forgive us!"_

 _-"If you want to help her then you have to do this Levy."_

 _-"Lucy will hate me for this. I know it! She hasn't even met me yet and she's going to hate me! How can you agree with this Freed?!"_

 _-"This is the only way. Even if Lucy hates us for it, this has to be done. Now can we hurry up? I have other things to tend to."_

 _-"Levy?"_

 ** _-"Please forgive me Lucy, please forgive me."_**

* * *

~The Following Afternoon~

A pained gasp roused the Celestial Dragon Slayer out of her slumber as she woke up to a throbbing pain pulsing through her body, her hands quick to move and clutch her side and face as she sat upright in discomfort. As if she had woke from a terrifying nightmare Lucy was covered in sweat while she was reduced to a panting mess as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. It had taken a few minutes to calm her erratic brain and wild heart from a dream she could not recall before she was breathing normally and regaining a level head. A small hiss left the girls lips as she stretched out her tight muscles and placed her bare feet on the cool wooden floors below before she was shakily pushing herself out of bed. Lucy's gaze was immediately pulled to the small vanity mirror positioned in the corner of the room as she took in her injured reflection, eyes widening at what she saw.

Tired brown eyes met her gaze alongside a swollen cheek and bruised lip. A band-aid was placed just in front of her hairline where a deep gash would sit from the puncture by a sharp rock as well as several other bruises. The entirety of her right leg was wrapped in bandages most likely due to damages done from her crazy jump off of a moving train, an injury that could have been much worse had she not healed it with what little skills she had in that field set. Identical to her leg Lucy's entire midsection was wrapped in a heavy coat of bandages and medical tape from the broken sets of ribs she managed to require as well as a deep gash that was made from her bone injures. Several bandages littered her arms and neck from small cuts in order to prevent infection accompanied by nasty blue and purple bruises. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail that someone had likely made while she was sleeping and was tied together by a gold ribbon that complimented her shade of blond, probably picked out to match her outfit as well. A tight black and gold lined tube-top hugged the girls chest and managed to push out certain assets more than they normally would. A matching pair of black spandex shorts hugged the girls lower half and extended to a couple inches below mid-thigh. But something stood out more than the bandages and outfit for Lucy herself, as her attention was specifically drawn to the noticeable scar on her left shoulder. The skin was slightly discolored and stuck out against her tan tone. The scar almost resembled an 'X' in her perspective but other than that it almost held no type of shape.

"Shit!" Lucy flinched as she placed too much weight on her injured leg that had spent most of the time laying still without time to move. Her entire body was stiff and her joints popped and cracked as she slowly stretched to loosen up the tight ligaments. Slowly she applied more pressure to her right leg, managing to move with a barely noticeable limp. Lucy doubted she could get past Erza's calculating eyes without her deducing that she was badly injured. "How the hell am I supposed to go out like this?" The blond clicked her tongue as she looked down at her clothes. "I might as well be in my bra and panties!" She scoffed before noticing something neatly folded at the foot of her bed. As she approached the folded cloth a small note caught her attention before she was reaching out to read it.

* * *

 _ **-Lucy**_

 _ **You've given us quite the scare injuring yourself like you did. You've slept for a good two days and I doubt you had time to eat on your mission with Erza and the boys, so I'll bet you're hungry! Swing by the bar when you wake up and I'll cook you a nice meal, on the house!**_

 _ **Love Mirajaine**_

* * *

"Love?" Lucy snorted despite the small smile that clawed at her lips. "What an idiot. Who signs love at the end?" Pulling her signature cloak over her body to cover the revealing outfit she wore, Lucy tucked the short (but sweet) note in her pocket and made her way toward the door. Her hand wrapped around the small metal doorknob and began to turn open the door, freezing as an odd smell hit her nose. It almost wreaked of old books and dust; how a library would smell, a mixture of mildew and antique books. Oddly enough it almost held the faintest trace of stardust which is what had made her pause in the first place. While the smell wasn't unpleasant she didn't exactly like it either. If anything it made her nose feel irritated as if she was about to sneeze. "What the hell is it?" Lucy grunted as she raised one of her arms to cover her nose and mouth. Using her free hand to grab the doorknob again Lucy wasted no time in throwing the door open, annoyed at how the smell made her react. "What spilled?" She called out, eyes on the ground as she shut the door behind her.

At first all she saw were bodies. All of her guild mates sprawled out across the floor, bar, and tables. In her short state of panic she failed to see their chests rising and falling or hear the soft snores from certain members of the guild. What did catch her attention, however, was the distinct sound of a floorboard creaking. Assuming it was an enemy who had attacked her guild, Lucy yanked out her whip and caught the 'intruder' by their wrist. Yanking the whip backwards Lucy used her momentum to toss the person into the wall while instinctively reaching for her keys attached to her hip. "Lucy stop!" Master Makarov's voice met her ears causing the blond to freeze but not drop her hands. "He's a member of the guild! Don't attack him!" The elder wizard warned as she maintained her defensive stance. Rising from the rubble of a broken chair and table that they crashed into, the masked figure dusted off their cloak before meeting Lucy's calculating eyes.

"This is Mystogan, Mystogan this is Lucy." Fairy Tails master exclaimed in an attempt to break the thick tension revolving around the two. "How'd you resist my sleeping spell?" Mystogan spoke slowly in a deep voice. "Oh? Is that what it is?" Lucy smirked. "Why're you so covered up? If you really are a guild mate then you shouldn't hide your face." She fired back. "How did you resist it?" The male mage repeated in a firmer tone. "Sleeping spells don't work on me. Draco taught me a spell to negate its effects, that kind of magic can be pretty nasty." Lucy responded with a slight frown as she took a closer look at what little of his face she could see. If she could just get a little closer she would be able to decipher who this Mystogan was. But he quickly walked past her and yanked a mission off the request board before turning on his heel to make his was to the exit. "M-Mystogan lift your spell!" Master Makarov called out. His voice bounced around in Lucy's ears as he counted down from five while she was busy trying to remember where she had seen him before. Groans and scratchy voices brought her out of her thoughts leaving Lucy to watch as everyone woke from their unconscious states. "Damn, was Mystogan here again?" Gray yawned. "Must have! He's not a man for putting us all to sleep!" Elfman shook his head in disappointment . "Come to think of it I'm pretty sure Master is the only one who's actually seen his face. Weird huh?" The ice mage added.

 _"That's not true.."_ A cocky voice drawled causing Lucy to flick her eyes upward to the second floor of the guild. "I've seen his face plenty." The blonds stomach began to churn as the blue eyed man smirked down at her, eyes lit up in amusement and mischief. "Plus our newest blond just met him. I bet if you think hard enough with that pretty little head of your you could figure it out." He chuckled. "Laxus." Lucy grunted in distaste. "Ouch. I see you're as cold as ever blondie." The s-class mage snickered. "Oi! Laxus! Fight me!" Natsu roared as he finally woke from his slumber. "Please, you couldn't even beat the redhead let alone me." Laxus sneered before returning his gaze to Lucy. "Come to think of it you seem to have grown pretty strong in the past few years. Maybe you'll beat Scarlet and take the title, not like it'l be difficult though." He explained. "What'd you say?" Lucy snarled, glaring up at the male's form.

"You probably don't remember, **_considering half your memories are sealed away_** , but I whooped you the last time you used that one with me." Laxus cackled. "Oh, I remember." She growled. "Remember that it was the other way around! In fact I recall you begging for mercy!" Lucy snapped. "Those are fightin' words. Care to put your money where your mouth is?" "Sure! This'l be a piece of cake! Celestial Dragon-!" The female slayer yelled only to freeze. Dark purple runes lit up her skin before bolts of purple electricity visibly surged through her skin; a piercing scream tore through her throat before Lucy dropped to the ground, a trembling mess. Her back arched off the ground in pain as another string of screams left her mouth, her face twisting in agony. "Lucy!" Erza yelped as she quickly stumbled over to the girls side. "Agh!" Eyes wide in surprise and concern Erza could only watch as her friend writhed in pain on the ground before collapsing, completely limp aside from the occasional twitch from her muscles. "Laxus! What did you do?!" Makarov boomed. "Only what you asked old man. Freed sealed her magic away, that was the deal, but with something a little extra. Can't have her breaking the runes now can we? Even with the bookworms reinforcement spell there's no telling what could happen."

 _"I'll deal with you later."_ Master Makarov spat, glaring up at his grandson in fury. "Lucy are you alright?" The guild master questioned. "Don't touch me!" Lucy hissed; smacking Makarov's hand away with trembling arms. "Don't touch me.." She repeated while pushing herself up on shaky limbs. "Did you know about this?" Lucy questioned, squinting at Erza in pain. "You have to understand that we mean well-" "Are you kidding me Erza?!" The blond yelled with wide eyes. "You knew they were planning to do this!?" Taking a deep breath Erza nodded her head. "When?!" Lucy snapped causing the redhead to look up at her in confusion. "When was this decided!" Reluctantly Erza answered; "On the way back to the guild after we defeated the Lullaby Flute. When you were sleeping." Clenching her fists Lucy spun around and made her way toward the guilds doors before she did anything she'd regret. "Your magic was depleting! There was no other choice!" Erza called out. "Oh, yeah, thanks _sis_ that makes everything so much better!" The blond spat in a sickly-sweet tone, glaring over her shoulder.

It felt as if the entire guild rattled after Lucy slammed one of the doors shut leaving everyone in a stunned silence. Rising from the ground Erza moved to chase after the blond only to stop as Master Makarov shook his head, eyes downcast to the floor. "She needs space Erza. You knew she wouldn't be happy about this, we all did. Just let her cool down. I doubt she'll do anything too reckless." The old man sighed before glancing up at his grandson. "Meet me in my office. We need to talk."

* * *

After finally reaching the confines of her apartment Lucy leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, her face resting in the palms of her hands as she desperately look calming breaths. "Damn it!" The blond cursed; her throat constricting while her voice was still hoarse from her previous screams. The pain of the lighting still burned her body and made her muscles ache terribly, not to mention she was utterly overwhelmed and bothered by the fact that she had been 'tampered with' in her sleep. Tears burned behind her eyes partly because of the pain and partly because she was angry forcing the girl to choke out a shaky, "Why me?!" Small scraping sounds from the outside of her apartment had Lucy's ears twitching in annoyance before a familiar voice yelled.

"Lucy!" Peeking out from behind her hands she drifted her gaze toward the window next to her bed. Natsu's face was fully pressed up against the glass, so hard that she could see all the way up his nose and into his mouth as he mouthed something to her. His pink hair was all in disarray, sticking out in all directions, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot from pressing against the glass. Normally the sight would have at least made her laugh a little or even spew out an insulting comment, but in that moment in time it only served to add to the girls anger. Did Master Makarov send him here to drag her back to the guild? Was he here to lecture her some more? "I don't understand what you're trying to say." Lucy groaned. "I said I can't hear you!" She yelled as the boy continued mouthing something to her.

Leaning back on the windowsill Natsu yanked open the window and rolled onto Lucy's soft bed with a bright smile cast across his face. "Man, you run fast Luce!" He joked with a small chuckle only to cough as the blond maintained her emotionless expression and refused to crack even a small smile. "Well at first I was thinking we could train so we could take Laxus and Erza on together as a team! But then I realized that just beating them won't do any good! We need to do something big!" Natsu excitedly explained. "S-class! If we complete this mission the old man will have no choice but to let us go on the second floor! Then we can really beat those two!" The boy all but yelled as Happy revealed the mission he stole from the second floor. "So? How bout' it? You in?" Maybe it was the pain that made her think irrationally or the fact that she was still livid over Master Makarov's actions that she did what came next, or simply the fact that she wanted to prove that she was strong even without her Dragon slaying magic did Lucy respond; "Of course. C'mon we should leave now." "Yosh!"

* * *

 _-Meanwhile back at the guild-_

"Erza." As the redheads name was called she lifted her gaze from her uneaten dessert to face the voices owner, trying to fight away her guilt ridden expression before they could decipher her emotions. "Gray." The woman tilted her head in the mages direction. "What did he mean?" The boy firmly questioned with sharp eyes. "You'll have to be more specific than that. Who are you talking about?" She sighed. "Laxus. He claimed that Lucy's memories are sealed away. What does that mean?" "Exactly what it sounds like." The guild fell silent as Gray slammed his hands down on the wooden table, knocking Erza's treat onto the floor. "Don't be so vague! You know exactly what I'm talking about!" He snapped. "Its not your business Gray. You know that its rude to stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Erza warned. "And its rude to act ignorant to a situation you're blatantly aware of!" He fired back.

Pinching the bridge of her nose Erza muttered something incoherent under her breath before running a hand through her hair. "When Lucy was twelve almost all of her memories were sealed away by the magic council. There's not much I can disclose about what happened since I am under oath, but what I can tell you is that Lucy doesn't remember half her life. All she knows of is Draco, Master Makarov, and Laxus and I. Anyone else she encountered had portions of their memories wiped as well to prevent future conflicts. They were going to seal everything away but Master convinced the council that Lucy wouldn't function as a normal person in society without any base memories to go off of." Eyes wide, Gray looked down at Erza; stunned. "The council can really do that to someone?" "They can." The woman frowned. "But why'd they do it? Why to Lucy?" Gray prodded.

"When Lucy was younger she was known as a prodigy wizard across the continent. No mission was too difficult, no job too much, no enemy too strong. One way or another she would always prevail even against the greatest of odds. In addition to this strong trait Lucy knew plenty of dangerous spells that could be capable of destroying cities at a time. The Magic Council was afraid that if a dark guild got their hands on her magic thousands of lives would be in danger. Not only that, I assume they were afraid that Lucy was uncontrollable. Had she been angered or influenced to destroy them nothing would be in her way; no chances of winning against her unique magic. Their vast fear of Lucy left them with two options, kill her or seal the memories away that held these memories and spells. If she couldn't remember them then she would never have a chance at performing them." Erza explained. "But does she know that they were sealed away?" "Yes, though I'm not exactly sure when Lucy figured it out herself. After the incident I think she knew something was wrong which led to hours of thinking. Seeing foreign faces in dreams, hearing voices in the back of her head, being unable to piece things together herself. Lucy just naturally figured out that somehow she lost parts of her memory."

"So she got revenge, right?" Gray asked with high hopes that there was at least some sort of justice to the dark story. "No." Erza shook her head. "At the time even I suggested storming the council to force them to give Lucy's memories back but she constantly refused the idea. Magic sealing's are a painful process for the victim and can sometimes even kill the person. Something in her subconcious must have remembered what it was like which is probably what made her stray away. Another possibility could have been that she simply didn't want to remember. How would you feel if you woke up and suddenly recalled people you hadn't spoken to in forever, or events that happened in your childhood years ago that you couldn't remember the day before?" Sighing, Erza bent down and cleaned up the remains of her fallen cheesecake. "As for her outburst earlier I'm afraid she had full right to react that way. The pain of the runes must have made her remember the pain of the memory sealing. I can't imagine living that nightmare."

* * *

 ** _~Near the Borders of Magnolia~_**

"Lucy are you.. ok?" Natsu questioned as he glanced at the blond from the corner of his eyes, a frown pulling at his lips as she kept her cold gaze pinned forward and her attention elsewhere. "I mean it's just magic, ya' know? You're still you with or without it.. Besides, it's not like you'll never get it back either! This is just until you get better or until old lady Porlyusica understands what's going on with you better!" He added in an attempt to lighten the situation; unaware that his ignorant statement would cause Lucy to boil in anger or whip around in fury. _"Just magic?!"_ She hissed causing the male slayer to flinch in surprise at her venomous tone. "While you may think it's 'just magic', it's the only fucking thing that ties me back to my father! So unless you know what it's like to be in my shoes then you can shut the hell up _Salamander_!" A flash of gold shimmered through the girls brown eyes while the purple runes on her body began to emit a light glow in her state of anger. "Luce-" Natsu began only to be cut off by said blond's swift glare and sharp words. "Leave me alone. You wouldn't know the first thing about me or what my magic means!"

"Lucy apologize! Natsu was just trying to help, you had no right to snap at him like you did!" Saiya scolded as she flew toward her master. "Me? Apologize?" Lucy scoffed, clenching her hands into fists by her sides. "I had no right to yell at him? The guild had no right to take my magic away in the first place, and he sure as hell didn't have the right to spew any bullshit to me either! I won't apologize for anything!" The silver exceed extended her arm toward the blonds form only to freeze as she took a step forward and spoke; "Oh, and since you seem to favor him so much over me, you can just stay with the Salamander then! It's not like I need you anyways, always holding me back!"

For a moment, all you could hear was silence and the distant sound of Lucy's jogging footsteps as she left her team behind. No one dared to utter a single word after her outburst and settled with looking at her previous spot with wide eyes. "I'm sorry for her behavior.. Lucy can be quite a brat when she's upset and tends to take it out on the people around her. Its not like that's her fault either though, it was just a trait she happened to pick up from Draco when she was young." Saiya murmured as she watched the blond with a small frown as she got farther and farther from the group. "No, Lucy's right." Natsu suddenly sighed as he placed his hands behind his head in a lazy manner. "I didn't think to look at it through her perspective so I didn't consider taking her magic away would mean taking her dragon away." He explained causing Happy to gape. "Eh!? Natsu you're using big words!" He screeched while the pink haired boy simply ignored his comment. "None of the guild thought about how Lucy would feel, no one knew what they were really doing to her. For that we're the one's that are wrong."

Letting one hand fall to his side and the other to his scarf, Natsu looked up at the sky with a frown and a distant expression on his face. That is, until, a large grin pulled at his lips as he faced Lucy's distant figure. "That's why if Luce is sad I'll just have to make her happy again!" "Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he flew after his partner who was chasing after the blond. "Maybe," Saiya whispered to herself as she watched the boy and his exceed disappear as well. "Maybe you can pull her out of this dark hole she lives in.. You could just be her new light.." A bitter smile morphed on her face as she slowly began to fly toward everyone else. "Because it seems I can't do that anymore.."

* * *

Hearing the rapidly approaching footsteps behind her Lucy's scowl darkened and became more cold, her brown eyes narrowing into a nasty glare while her lips pulled back in a slight snarl; scaring any other pedestrians in the street away. "Tch. Didn't I tell them to leave me alone?" The girl growled under her breath. Feeling a presence on her back Lucy turned her head to the left to yell at Natsu who had approached her with no intention of holding back. "Oi Natsu! I told you-!" She began only to yelp as she was suddenly lifted from the ground and into a warm embrace that she was all to familiar with. Face buried in his chest, one hand landed softly on the back of Lucy's head while the other on her lower back; pulling her closer to Natsu's body as he engulfed her in a hug. "L-Let go of me!" The blond squirmed as an undeniable heat flared up her cheeks. "T-this is e-embarrassing, idiot!" She added, her voice constricting at his close proximity.

"Its ok for you to be scared." Natsu suddenly exclaimed causing Lucy to stiffen. "And its ok for you to miss your dad too." "Don't, Natsu. I'm serious. You really don't want to get into this with me!" She warned, placing her hands against his form in preparation to shove herself out of his grasp. "You may not act like it but _I know_ you miss him and I know it makes you scared. That's why you got so upset over the fact that they temporarily sealed your magic away isn't it? Because it was the last thing that made you feel home. That made you feel like your dragon was there, protecting you." Stunned, Lucy's arms dropped down by her sides while her brown eyes widened to the size of saucers. "I'm sorry Luce, I'm really, really, _really_ sorry. Sorry for what I said, sorry that this happened to you, sorry that your dragon left. I really am!" Natsu confessed as his grip tightened on her smaller form.

"I-I don't know much about you," He paused to take a breath as it felt like air couldn't meet his lungs, overwhelmed by the blonds sweet strawberry vanilla scent. "But I want to know so much more! I wanna know what your favorite foods are, what you like and what you hate, your favorite colors! Everything about you I want to know!" Stumbling over his words Natsu struggled to get back on track as he grew slightly dizzy in Lucy's presence, something that had never happened to him before. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. What I really wan't to say is..!" Cursing himself the boy shut his eyes and took a sharp breath in, squeezing Lucy's body tighter than ever before.

 _"I'll always be there to pick you up when you fall down, no matter what! I promise!"_

He choked out before continuing; "I'll be there to protect you from everything! If you get in a fight with Erza or Mira gives you the wrong order! If you fail a mission or just feel plain sad! I'll be there! Especially if it's because of those bastards Gray and Elfman!" At a loss for words Natsu fell silent and awaited the blond's response, his throat constricting and chest tightening as she said nothing in return. Had he said to much? Scared her off with his overwhelming emotions? Had he made her uncomfortable? "S-sorry." The pinkette weakly chuckled in an attempt to cover up his wounded pride, slowly releasing his tight grip on her body. What he didn't expect was for the girls arms to coil around his waist and for Lucy to bury her face into his chest, mumbling something practically inaudible. "Huh?" He was practically gasping by then; feeling her return his small sign of affection. Electricity bounced up and down his body, surging through his bones like an enormous energy he had never felt before. Desiring more of the foreign 'power' he wrapped his arms around her body as well; resting his chin on top of her head as he took steady breaths to prevent himself from passing out.

"Pink." Lucy repeated, practically trembling under his touch. Noticing his confusion Lucy cleared her throat and pressed her face further into his chest, if possible. "My favorite color, its pink." She explained with a darker blush than before. "B-but not a hot pink or salmon, j-just pink. Like y-your hair!" The girl stuttered. "P-pink like when the sun sets. Draco and I used to watch the sun set all the time so its my f-favorite color..." Pausing to catch her breath the girl balled up handfuls of the slayers vest in her fists as her heart pounded wildly against her chest. "I like reading and writing, looking at the constellations are fun too... I don't like being in complete darkness and I hate dresses with a passion. My favorite food is cheesecake, ironically. Probably because Erza always forced me to eat it with her." The blond finished with a slight cough. "There." Lucy firmly stated as she loosened her grip on the boy. "You asked to know more about me so now you do. A-And don't go around thinking I always need to be saved! I'm fully capable of defending myself!" She huffed, shoving Natsu off of her body while looking in the other direction; arms crossed under her chest.

"But I guess I'm sorry too." Lucy apologized, flicking her gaze to the right to glance up at the pink haired boy. Her face turned pink again at the intense stare he had pinned on her body before she tensely added; "I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did." She was practically squirming then, feeling his gaze burn holes into her. "Are you sick or somethin' Luce? Your face is really red like a tomato!" Natsu questioned in all seriousness, his face just inches away from Lucy's. "Idiot! Back it up!" The blond screeched before punching him in the jaw. "Oi Happy! Did you see that! Lucy punched me for no reason!" Natsu whined. "Aye sir! That's mean Lucy!" The blue cat shook his head. "Yeah right! Did you see how close her was to me Saiya?!" Lucy yelled, whipping around to face the silver exceed. "..Hm? Oh.. yeah.." The silver exceed shrugged her shoulders not following the conversation.

Saiya's blue eyes widened as a small hand landed on her head in a loving manner before she was met with the sight of Lucy's smiling face. "You don't hold me back you know. I'm sorry I yelled at you. Forgive me?" She asked with hopeful eyes. "Y-yeah!" The cat responded, slightly teary-eyed. "Friends for a little while longer, yeah?" The blond winked causing the exceed to giggle. "Yeah, just a little longer."

* * *

 _ **A/N: OH MY GOD ITS BEEN SO LONG HOW IS EVERYONE!?**_

 _ **-So my Marching Season is over for the year and Winter Guard starts now, sorry I was inactive for the past couple of weeks.**_

 _ **(For anyone that's curious, my school did fairly well at all of our competitions and rarely did we ever not place anything below 4th. We actually went to Indianapolis for Grand National Championships but didn't place how sad.. I had to stay in a cabin for almost a week with no wifi so I couldn't update anything!)**_

 ** _ANYWAYS_**

 ** _This chapter is shorter than normal just because I didn't want to put part of the Galuna Island Arc in one chapter and continue on with the next as it didn't flow well with everything else... But I promise to have another (longer) chapter out in the next 2-3 days._**

 ** _(MORE CAPS!) HOLY CRAP THIS STORY HAS 101 FOLLOWERS!_**

 ** _I never imagined I would ever have this many people reading what I write so this is so fantastic that you guys made that happen. Thank you so much for all the reviews as well, I always love seeing what you think and appreciate constructive criticism!_**

 ** _Also this was my small attempt at writing some fluff for Natsu and Lucy as well as creating some more plot to make the story a bit more interesting (Requested by monarchfly) I promise to add more for the upcoming chapters but let me know what you guys think!_**

 ** _As always thank you for reading. Why not leave a review and let me know what you thought?_**

 ** _-xxTheNightmareBeforexx_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 _Intro: Galuna Island Arc!_

 _*I apologize for my inactivity. If you are curious about the reason for such the long wait then please read the A/N at the end. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _"...Just let her cool down. I doubt she'll do anything too reckless."_

Master Makarov took a large swig of his beer with hopes that it would help in soothing his erratic mind. The elder wizard couldn't help but scowl as he recalled Lucy's violent outburst concerning the sealing of her magic while he waited for the buzz from his drink to start. The warm contents of the alcohol burned at Makarov's throat as he swallowed large mouthfuls of his beer -humming in content as it provided the numbing effect he desired. Sinking further into his seat at the bar Master Makarov sighed in relief as he finally began to relax since Lucy had stormed out. He understood where the blond was coming from and why should be upset, he expected it even, but sealing her magic away was something that _had_ to be done. The girl held a large risk of dying had he not done what he did, and in Makarov's eyes he did what was right. If Lucy resented him for it the wiser man could deal with that. If that was the price for acting like a parent then so be it. Master Makarov was at peace with what he had done and was fully aware of the consequences that would come with it.

The small moment of temporary peace was broken as Mirajaine hastily ran down the steps from the second floor with an urgent expression written across her face. "M-Master Makarov!" She yelled. Eyes shut, the old man tilted his head in response before taking another large swig of his beer. "Someone stole an S-Class Request!" For a moment Makarov's heart almost jumped out of his chest. Blaming his sudden anxiety on his old age any fading hearing Master Makarov chuckled and shook his head. "You had me worried for a moment there Mirajaine! It almost sounded like you said someone had stolen a mission from the second floor." Makarov explained, as he downed the remains of his drink. "That's exactly what I said! Someone stole a request, I'm sure of it!" Choking on his drink, Master Makarov quickly whipped around to face the white haired woman. Eyes bulging out of his head the man screamed a loud, "What" causing the barmaid to flinch and take a fearful step back. "I w-went up to the second floor to take i-inventory of all the m-mission requests and noticed one of them was gone! B-both Erza's and Guildart's missions have been logged, and Laxus is here at the guild! There's no mistake, someone had to have stolen one!"

Mirajaine's explanation sent the guild into a thick, tense silence. No one could fathom anyone that would be brave or stupid enough to go up to the second floor without being an s-class wizard, let alone stealing a request. A particularly uncouth laugh broke the silence and had everyone looking up at the second floor in confusion. **_"Laxus!"_** Master Makarov all but hissed. "What do you know about this?!" Yawning, the blond lifted a hand to lazily cover his mouth before looking down at his grandfather. Needless to say Laxus' nonchalant manner only served to anger Master Makarov more. "Who know's? I might've seen a small blue cat fly off with a piece of paper. How was I supposed to know it was a request from the board?" He shrugged his shoulders while his cocky smirk grew larger. "Oh! Now I remember! I may have heard that same cat mumbling about how much Lucy and Natsu would enjoy the mission. Hey, what were you saying about her being reckless -old man?"

Clenching her fists in anger Mirajaine quickly jumped to the female blond's rescue. "Lucy would never agree to this Master! She'd never let Natsu and Happy go by themselves either! I'm sure that mission is back at her house waiting to be posted again! S-she was probably just scared she'd get in trouble for a crime she didn't commit!" Mirajaine yelped. "No." Master Makarov growled. Grinding his teeth he added, "I'm absolutely sure she would agree to this. Laxus! You have to go after them!" Scoffing he shook his head. "Hell no! I'm not a baby sitter. Besides, everyone in Fairy Tail is supposed to be able to take care of themselves!" Slamming his fist down on the bar in anger Makarov's fury met new heights. "This is no laughing matter! You will go get them, now!" He demanded. Baring his teeth in an open mouthed smirk, Laxus countered, "Stealing missions is a rule that could result in expulsion, no? You want them back so badly? Go get em' yourself! I've got way better things to do than deal with a flame idiot and a blond haired bimbo with a sharp tongue."

"Laxus you need to listen to me! Lucy was always your friend when you both were younger! Don't you remember how she would always protect you from your fathers abuse? How she would always comfort you? Not to mention that Natsu is a member of the guild, someone who would likely defend you if you were in his place! You can't honestly tell me that you'll be fine if they die?!" Glaring down at the old man in defiance, Laxus' eyes darkened a shade. "Don't bring up my dad, ever! Those two idiots are none of my concern! If they want to throw their lives away that's fine, that has nothing to do with me! Go spew your shit morals somewhere else!"

 _"I doubt she'll do anything too reckless."_

As his words from the day prior echoed through his head, Master Makarov slammed his glass down in fury. "M-Master?" Mirajaine stuttered in fear for her two younger companions. "Chill out why don't cha', Master?" A lighter voice interjected. "Laxus isn't the only one capable of bringing those two back. With Lucy unable to use her dragon slaying magic it'l be a piece of cake. God knows I can take Natsu on my own." They added. Slowly releasing the cracked glass from his hand Master Makarov slid the glass toward Mirajaine. "Get me another beer and keep them comin'." He grunted. Pinching the bridge of his nose Fairy Tail's master bitterly murmured, "It seems I've greatly miscalculated your reaction Lucy." Grabbing a new glass mug with trembling hands Mirajaine wiped the stray tears from her eyes and worked on getting the man's order. As the contents of the beer filled her masters glass the white haired woman couldn't help but ponder on what would happen to her four new friends. "Please," Mirajaine whispered. "Be safe."

* * *

 _-Hargeon Port-_

Hargeon, like Magnolia, was a busy location filled with various types of people. Being a port this characteristic was expected -as thousands of people from around the continent came in to sell their merchandise, but it was still a refreshing sight to see. Boat horns blasted off in the distance while eager vendors shouted out prices and deals on what they had to sell. The bustling voices of moving bodies blended out any other unnecessary sound and the thundering of feet against the pavement could be heard from practically a mile away. Any normal person would feel fantastic being surrounded by such a positive environment, but it only served to jab at Lucy's nerves. "I didn't think I'd be back here any time soon..." The blond murmured, as she glanced at all the people around her. Unconsciously Lucy hugged her cloak closer to her body and reached up to pull her hood over her head.

Watching the girl from the corner of his eyes, Natsu couldn't help but frown in distaste. "Why do you always do that?" He suddenly questioned causing Lucy to halt mid-step. "Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy asked after turning her head to look at the pink haired boy. "You always cover yourself like that whenever you get near large groups of people. Why?" Natsu sighed. "Its like you don't like the sight of your own skin. And you never look in the mirror or at your own reflection. You even sometimes do it at the guild." The blond's eyes widened in surprise at Natsu's sudden perceptiveness and for a moment her eyes narrowed dangerously in fear. Natsu was usually the dense one who needed to be 'baby-talked', from what she had seen since joining the guild. So how did he suddenly pick up on her subtle behavior? Not even Erza knew, as far as Lucy could tell, and if she did then she never bothered to bring it up. Erza and Lucy had known each other for as long as they could remember so it didn't make any sense how the Fire Dragon Slayer had figured out what he did.

Gulping, Lucy dropped her hood to its previous position and slowly released her hold on the rest of her cloak. Glancing off in the other direction the blond grabbed at her right shoulder and slightly bit her lip. "As you already know almost all of my memories of childhood have been sealed away. Erza and the old man tell me that as I grow these memories could come back but only when I sleep. Unless something triggers a memory the only way to release one is through your dreams. Apparently experiencing one while conscious can be life threatening, not to mention excruciatingly painful. With time you can peacefully regain all your memories or force them all to come out and risk death. Naturally I chose the former."

Tightening her grip on her shoulder, Lucy began to slightly clench her teeth. "Yet, I struggle to find the distinction between what are just dreams and which ones are memories. Voices I've never heard, people I've never seen, places I've never been before. Some of these 'visions' I see are good and others not so much... It's in places like this I experience in my dreams." She paused to gesture at the happy environment around her. "In the blink of an eye people go from happy to screaming. From uninjured to hurt. _From living to being a lifeless body on the ground._ Do you understand how difficult it is for me to go out in public and not know what crimes I may have committed in the past?If I really did do all these horrible things I dream about someone is bound to recognize be at some point. What would I do then?" Lucy confessed. "A-as for that other part... Draco didn't exactly treat me like a girl when growing up. He certainly wasn't ever gentle and never got afraid to be rough or censor himself around me. Needless to say, he treated me like a boy most of the time. Once he disappeared and I was reintroduced into society it was only natural that I would act the way I was taught to. When I first started gaining a name for myself everyone would act all surprised when they found out I was a girl.." The blond explained with a light blush. "I d-don't really know, ok?! It's just weird for me to look at myself!"

Chuckling, Natsu reached out and placed a gentle hand on Lucy's head. "Man, you really are a weirdo!" He laughed causing the girl to flinch. "I may not know much about your past or what you've done before we met. But I do know that people like you are too kind to purposely hurt anyone. There's no need for you to hide yourself anymore Luce! And as for your appearance," A toothy grin came to Natsu's face as he looked down at the blond. "You're definitely prettier than Mira and she does some modeling thing for a magazine! Besides, I like you the way you are now! Who cares what anyone else thinks!"

At that moment Lucy had come to realize another thing. Natsu's smile was contagious and the brightest thing she'd ever seen. Confused at to what she was actually feeling Lucy decided to let the small smile form on her face, as she casually ran a hand through her hair to play through her embarrassment. "We should get moving and find a boat to take us to the island." Seeing that his friends mood was lifted, Natsu's grin grew and he threw his fist in the air. "Yosh!" He cheered.

 _"W-wait! Did you say boat?!"_

The screech that left the boy's mouth sounded inhuman and had any passerby glancing in Lucy's direction in confusion. Blushing now for a completely different reason Lucy slapped Natsu in the back of his head and pinched her nose in annoyance. "Yes a boat! We can't swim there, you idiot!" The blond growled before quickly storming off in the other direction. "Eh? Why not?! Oi! Luce, wait up!" Natsu yelled. Meanwhile, Saiya and Happy watched in disbelief as their owners chased after one another. "They completely forgot about us, again." Saiya groaned. "Aye sir.."

* * *

Normally, one would think it would be an easy task to find a boat to an island in a city dedicated to docking ships. Finding a ride to Galuna Island, however, was easier said than done. Mentioning the name by itself was taboo, but asking for a ride to the alleged cursed island? You must be crazy! No one in their right minds would have anything to due with the 'demon infested' land. Hearing its name alone was enough to send someone running in fear. But asking for a ride there? They'd likely drop dead. It was almost as if the people of Hargeon Port thought the curse would reach them if they had an affiliation with its name. And should someone be crazy enough to ask for a ride, they would get a varied amount of responses that would lead to something like this;

 _"Galuna Island? You can't be serious! No way anyone's goin' there!"_

 _"You mean that cursed island? Sorry but I have a family. I can't risk leaving them behind."_

 _"I wouldn't go near there! Not even for a million jewel!"_

 _"Everyone knows that land's cursed! Hell, I heard its power will reach you just by sailin' past it!"_

 _"Hah! You must have a death wish wantin' to go there! No one would ever willingly go to Galuna. Well, no one sane."_

It felt like Lucy and her friends had been searching for an eternity. Countless rejections and incredulous glances only served to fuel the blond's patience and annoyance. Natsu had questioned several times why she had seemed so tense, and tried to provide a way's of comfort by saying that they "had time to look". Of course Natsu wouldn't understand why Lucy was so anxious -he was too busy thinking about what would happen when they reached the island. But the female slayer knew if she didn't find a ride there soon, someone was likely to find them. Then there would be no mission and an earful from Master Makarov. Not to mention the consequence of Erza coming after them, then Lucy would really be in trouble. Lucy predicted Erza would take a mission after their argument in the guild, it was the only way the redhead would know how to deal with her own anger, which is why the blond jumped the gun upon taking the S-Class Mission. But Titania Erza was no fool or weakling. She would be back at the guild any time now and if the blond didn't get her team out of Hargeon and onto the island the mission was as good as over. She already got one lecture, Lucy didn't need another one so soon.

"So? What're we gonna do now, Lu? Doesn't look like we have any way to get to the island," Saiya said as she sat on the girls shoulder. "I don't know, to be completely honest." Lucy responded, as she weaved through busy fishermen. "You could easily fly me to Galuna by yourself. We've traveled farther distances than this before." Lucy explained. "But then there's the problem of Natsu and Happy. I doubt he could fly Natsu all the way there, or that Natsu would be patient enough to let him. Because of that reason flying is out of the option. I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself anyways." Biting her thumb in thought, Lucy continued to move between fishermen and sailors she knew would deny their request. "Its also obvious that none of these experienced drivers will take us there either. Not to mention how far of a distance it would be to swim.." Shrugging her shoulders in defeat Lucy dropped her hand to her side and continued walking. "We'll just have to keep looking. I'm sure someone will come up soon! We could always try bribery on the next try."

"How bout' him?" Natsu interjected, as he pointed at a sailor wearing a brown cloak. He was bent down, untying the rope connected to his boat from the dock. "Its worth a shot. We don't have any other options anyways," Saiya said. The soft pattering off approaching feet made the sailor pause and look up from his work, as Lucy and her friends came walking down the dock. "Yo'!" Natsu grinned, as he slung an arm over Lucy's shoulder. "We just had a quick question to ask if you don't mind?" The blond coughed, as she pushed Natsu's arm off her body. "I suppose I could take a short break. What could I help you with?" The sailor responded. "I'll keep this short and to the point since we don't have anymore time to waste. We need to get to Galuna Island right away. I'll pay you if that's what it takes!"

Smiling apologetically, the sailor shook his head. "I'm sorry but I-" He began. "I must say, you guys sure do move quick!" A familiar voice chuckled. "The old man found out about your stupid plan. He sent me here to drag you lot back to the guild. And boy are you four gonna be in trouble." The raven haired boy snickered. "I could see an idiot like Natsu pulling something like this, but it was quite a surprise to everyone that you were involved as well Lucy." Gray snickered. "Ehhh? What's the ice princess doin' here?!" Ignoring the pink haired boy for a moment, Gray and Lucy focused only on glaring at one another. "You think I'm scared of you Gray? To hell with that!" The blond scoffed. "Let em' kick me out then. I couldn't care less."

Growling at her dismissive behavior the ice mage began to clench his fists. "I'm not afraid to drag you both back to the guild by force! I can defeat Natsu no problem, and it'l be a piece of cake to do the same to you without the help of your own dragon slaying magic!" An ethereal glow began to take on Lucy's eyes as she reached for a key on her belt -a predatory snarl sounding from her throat. "You sure bout that? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" With his attention focused solely on Lucy's form, Gray failed to notice a pink haired mage sneaking up behind him with a fiery fist. "We're goin' on this mission like it or not!" Natsu yelled as he pulled his fist back. "No one's stopping us!"

Lucy watched in satisfaction as Gray passed out while she angrily slipped Virgo's key back onto her belt. "Tch! Who does he think he is dissing my spirits like that -again?!" The girl hissed. "E-excuse me? You wouldn't happen to be wizards would you? Did you accept the request for lifting the curse on Galuna Island?" The sailor suddenly questioned. Slowly nodding her head Lucy answered with a small "Yes" before asking, "So. Could we get that ride or not? It's only a matter of time before another guild-mate comes after us." What came next was a surprise to Lucy and everyone around her, as would the events be to come. "Get in. I'll take you there."

* * *

Team Natsu knew better than to test their luck and question why the sailor had a sudden change of mind. They quickly boarded the small wooden boat and patiently waited as the man departed from the dock. Natsu, of course, immediately passed out from his motion sickness and Happy fell asleep shortly after when he ate too much fish. Without her energetic friend and his partner to strike up a conversation Lucy eased into her seat and waited for a comfortable silence to surround the boat. For the first time since she'd joined the guild Lucy could relax and let the baggage of past events fall from her shoulders. While Lucy relaxed, and kept a keen eye on Natsu and Gray's bodies so they didn't fall out, Saiya busied herself with watching the stars as they came out. The small silver exceed knew better than to make small talk with her blond partner, as she already understood that Lucy enjoyed basking in silence every once in a while.

While Lucy relaxed and kept a keen eye on her unconscious friends she rested her fingertips on the top of the waters surface. Things had been hectic the past few days and it had taken its toll on the blond's body, and mind. There was no need for unnecessary one-sided conversations or pointless questions that would remain unanswered. Lucy could just sit back and relax for the first time in what felt like months. And oddly enough the sailor kept to himself for most of the ride as well. He only focused on rowing the boat safely through the ocean's currents and keeping to himself. This was perfectly fine in Lucy's eyes, as she already had trouble trusting strangers from past experiences. Having a conversation with the sailor would only be awkward and tense, so it was better for both parties to keep to themselves until something of importance came up. However, it seemed that moment had finally come up.

When the boat suddenly began to slow and the sound of something hitting the water reached her ears, Lucy looked at the sailor from the corners of her eyes in confusion. The wooden oar to the boat slowly washed away with the currents and the boat slowly moved along with the small waves that pushed against it. "Miss, might I ask for your name?" The man asked, as Gray slowly woke up and came to his senses. Narrowing her golden-brown eyes at his form the blond took a moment to respond. "I'm not sure why that should concern you, but its Lucy. Didn't anyone teach you that you're supposed to give your name first before asking?" Lucy scoffed. Chuckling the sailor slowly shook his head. "Pardon my rudeness Lucy-san. You are absolutely right." He apologized. "The name's Bobo. Might I ask for a favor?" Bobo laughed, as he turned to face the blond slayer. "You seem like a smart girl so I'll put my faith in you. Promise me you'll lift this curse bestowed upon my homeland."

Saiya audibly gasped as Bobo pulled the sleeve back to his cloak, exposing a demonic-looking arm, before slapping her paws over her mouth. "This nasty curse has forced me to flee my home and leave my family behind. Promise me you'll save them, Miss Lucy." As the boat began to shake and rock from side to side Lucy's gaze flicked over to her two friends in concern, before shooting back to where the sailor had previously stood. "No matter," Bobo's voice echoed while Lucy, Saiya and Gray looked around in confusion. "H-hold on everyone!" Lucy's exceed cried, as a giant wave swept the boat up.

 **"I'm sure you would've said yes anyways. Please, don't fail me."**

* * *

 _ **A/N: This is such a terribly short chapter and I apologize for that, I just wasn't sure if I would have time to finish this chapter tonight and upload it in time. I really wanted to post something to let you all know that I'm not dead and that this story is still alive and going!**_

 _ **As for my recent inactivity I also apologize for that as well. 2016 has been a very hectic and stressful year for me, in all honesty its downright terrible so far. For starters my winterguard season is coming to an end so my instructors have really been pushing me and my friends at practice. I've hurt my knee, popped my thumb, the list goes on and on so I've been to the doctor these past few months more than I can count. Second, my apartment was broken into when I was home alone so my family and I have been dealing with the police, while the same people have been harassing us since then. I pretty much have to move out of my apartment and find a new place to live because they won't leave us alone and the people who own our apartment pretty much said it was our fault that all this happened and that they were going to kick us out. On top of all of this my mom got a kidney infection that was so bad it got into her blood so she was in the hospital for a few days, and I'm terribly sick.**_

 _ **I have been doing my best to write this chapter in order to update this story, with everything that has been going on. Also, I will do my best to get back to my regular schedule for updates, so please continue to be patient!**_

 _ **Thank you all for your continuous support and fantastic reviews.**_

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_

 _ **I LOVE YOU ALL 3**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 **~LITERALLY YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!**  
 **-I cannot express my gratitude enough for all the amazing reviews, and spam of Favorites &Followers this story has gained. I appreciate all of you guys so much and always love any input you provide! Thank you so much for all of your support with time between updates and your understanding of the things going on in my life. As usual, enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think of it! **

**HAPPY SPRING BREAK! (Well what's left of it anyways)**

 _* **wordcandy** : In response to your review I have tried to fix the spacing/format of my paragraphs. I'm still fairly new to writing and still getting the hand of everything, but did my best to start a new paragraph each time a new speaker was introduced! I'm hoping that this is what you meant by your comment. If not, would it be too much trouble for you to elaborate?_

 _-I will be responding to other reviews at the end in the A/N. Thanks again~_

* * *

-Galuna Island : The Following Morning-

 **Lucy woke up with a face-full of sand and a giant crab right next to her head.**

Much to the blond's relief her silver exceed was sleeping peacefully, and still cradled protectively against her chest. The night before when Lucy and her friends were violently thrown from their boat by a monstrous wave, the girls instincts kicked in and she immediately grabbed her exceed and used her arms to shield her head. Aside from Draco and her Celestial Spirits, Saiya was the most important thing to Lucy. She was the glue that held her life together, and without Saiya by her side Lucy didn't think she could keep living. So upon seeing that her silver-companion was alive and uninjured a sigh of relief left the blonds lips. After sitting up with a groan Lucy took a moment to take in her surroundings.

Happy wasn't too far to her left. He too seemed virtually uninjured but was sleeping in one of the most uncomfortable positions Lucy had ever seen. His head was sticking out from under the wooden boat, which was crushing all of his body below his neck, with a piece of seaweed stuck to his head. Further down the beach, but only a few feet away, was Natsu who was literally sleeping hanging upside-down from a tree. Somehow a piece of rope had wrapped around his feet and got entangled with the branches of the tree, causing him to be suspended in the air and to sway with the breeze. "Honestly," Lucy scoffed. "How can he have such bad motion sickness, but can handle being hung from a tree and tossed in different directions?" She asked herself. While Lucy would have rather stayed on the topic at hand she knew she had to find the last member of the team.

Lucy had no sympathy for Gray when she found the place he was sleeping in. He was laying on a rigid boulder that was almost boiling under the sun's immense heat, and she could only imagine how red his skin had to be since his pants and shirt was elsewhere on the beach. Lucy didn't quite understand how he _still_ managed to strip with his hands and feet tied, but she guessed that there was nothing you could do to stop a pervert's habit. Inwardly Lucy was glad that he managed to land in, what she considered, the most painful spot because he did insult her Celestial Spirit's abilities -twice. Which is why as she glanced at the giant crab that still hadn't moved since she woke up a sick plan began to form in her mind.

After gently placing Saiya on the ground Lucy scooped the crab up into her hands and slowly crept toward Gray's sleeping figure. In the blink of an eye she had grabbed the front of Gray's boxers and shoved the crab in, making sure that she did it aggressively so that the animal would get mad, and waited for the fun to begin.

 **Gray woke up with an agonizing scream and a giant crab pinching him...**

* * *

Natsu was still laughing and it annoyed Gray to no end. "It wasn't _that_ funny, idiot flame brain!" Lucy's little prank back at the beach made everyone wake up and as Team Natsu looked for the village, which was located somewhere in the center of the island, Natsu wouldn't stop talking about it. Needless to say, Gray didn't find it funny.

"N-no, it really was!" He cried. "Y-you s-screamed like a little girl! I don't think I've ever seen you strip so quickly either!" Natsu snickered, as he hunched over in laughter.

Scowling, Gray glared at the pink haired boy and clenched his fists. "Yeah? _Well I'd like to see you wake up with a big-ass crab in your pants!_ "

"Would you two idiots stop fighting and hurry the hell up? We found the village so we should get a move on." Lucy interjected from several feet away, as Saiya gently placed her back on the ground. "Might I remind you that the next person the old man is likely to send will be Erza? If we don't start the mission now then we'll definitely be in trouble." She added from over her shoulder. "Or you could just stay there and keep arguing like children. I don't exactly mind getting all the credit for finishing an S-Class request."

"O-Oi wait! We can't let her beat us Happy! Let's go!" Natsu roared, as he took off after the blond.

"Hey! I'm not gonna let you two make S-Class before me!"

* * *

"Anyone home? We're wizards from Fairy Tail responding to your request!"

Lucy's eye twitched. It had been an entire minute since she announced her teams presence, and no one came out to greet them or even give a simple response to signal that anyone was there. Natsu quickly suggested that he could just break them in with a 'Fire Dragon Iron Fist', which Lucy had immediately shot down, forcing the Fairy Tail wizards to patiently wait in silence. "C'mon Luce! Why can't I just burn a way in? Its just wood!" The pink haired mage groaned.

"Because Natsu. They obviously have a gate for a reason so we can't just go destroying it for absolutely no reason." She sighed.

"Eh? But if I burn it down because we're trying to get in, then wouldn't that count as a reason?" He questioned.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Lucy sighed again. "That's besides the point. We're not just going to burn-"

 _"Huh? Wizards from Fairy Tail? Show us your guild marks!"_

The sudden pair of voices made Team Natsu freeze, and look up at the top of the gate in surprise. Lucy slowly lifted her right hand and Saiya spun around to show off the golden mark on her silver fur. Happy removed his green knapsack, Natsu turned to show off his forearm, and Gray lifted his shirt in order to expose his chest. The colorful array of guild-marks made the two men gasp and scramble to open the village gates.

"I-It's Fairy Tail! I-It's really them! Someone, hurry! Open the gates!"

* * *

"I must formally apologize for the previous delay. We were never notified that you accepted our request, you see, so we didn't prepare for your arrival today. I am Moka the village chief, and on behalf of my people I would like to thank you all for coming. But all pleasantries aside there's something you need to see. Now my people! Show these wizards what the curse has done to us!" As the villagers removed their cloaks Lucy's eyes widened in surprise as she recognized their demonic limbs, and remembered when Bobo showed her his own cursed arm. "Not a single person on this island has been spared from the curse placed on this island, including the animals. Everyone here has suffered terrible disfigurements because of it."

Shaking his head in confusion, Gray stepped forward with a serious question. "Pardon my rudeness, but how are you even sure that this is the result of a curse? This could just be an infectious disease or a sickness for all we know."

"That's a very good question young man, but we know for a fact that this is no sickness. We have called several doctors and medical officials for inspections but none of them can diagnose us with any type of disease." Moka explained. "However, after the moon was placed under an evil spell and turned the color purple our symptoms suddenly began. Unless you can provide us with another explanation we have no choice but to believe that none of this is a result of a disease."

"Huh? You think this is because of the moon? I've never heard of a spell that can do this. Have you, Lu?" Saiya murmured, as she turned to face her blond friend.

"As far as I know there's no such spell. But at the same time, I haven't felt any effects of this so called 'curse'. If the moon's effects are so widespread that it's effected every person on this island then I should have at least detected something by now. Unfortunately I don't know how much help I can actually be. Because I use magic related to the stars I don't know that this curse could even effect me." Lucy sighed while the clouds began to move away from the moon.

"L-look! It's starting to come out from behind the clouds!" Happy gasped, as he saw the purple glow.

"Oi Lucy. Get behind me." Natsu exclaimed before coming up behind the blond girl. "We don't know how this curse will effect you. So stand behind me." Meanwhile, all the villagers began to scream as their bodies began to fully change. Natsu unknowingly reached back and grabbed Lucy's hand before tugging her closer to his body as to further protect her from the moons light. Some of the villagers dropped to their knees during the transformation and others clutched their faces in agony while body parts turned into monster-like limbs.

"I a-apologize if this transformation has frightened you. This is what happens to us every night that the moon comes out. If this isn't a curse then what else could this be? By morning we will return to our normal human forms, but some of my people suffer for an eternity because they can no longer return to normal. And for these poor unfortunate souls I have no choice but to put them to death. It's not fair to these people to let them continue suffering when they've already succumbed to an irreversible transformation. I should know, I had to kill my own flesh and blood; my son, Bobo." The village chief cried. "Please lift this evil curse from our island. I fear that if it isn't lifted soon we will all fall victim to it, and then we will be forced to die!"

"We're not gonna let that happen!" The two dragon slayers chorused much to the villagers surprise.

"There's only one way that this curse will come to an end. The moon... the moon must be destroyed!"

* * *

As Lucy unpacked her bag Gray and Natsu watched her with a keen eye. She was frowning and her eyes were darker than normal which had raised their concerns. "So Lucy, there's really nothing you can do? I mean, we couldn't possibly destroy the moon." Saiya murmured.

"With or without my dragon slaying magic there's nothing that I can do. As far as I know nothing is wrong with the moon. What concerns me is that it only looks purple from on the island. When we were sailing over here it looked the same as it always did." Lucy explained, as she clenched her fists. "But I can't help but feel like we're missing something big. I don't know what turned the moon a different color, or why the villagers only change when it's out at night. Something else has to be here that we don't know about which is causing them to react this way."

Lucy yelped in surprise as she felt an arm wrap around her stomach, and her body slung over someones shoulder. "Well, there's nothing that we can do about it right now. We'll start the investigation in the morning, so we might as well get some sleep now." Natsu said with a nonchalant expression.

"H-hey, Natsu! P-put me down!" Lucy yelled, as she thrashed around in the boys grip.

"For once I agree with you, flame brain. I could use some shut eye right about now." Gray grunted as he laid down on his futon.

"Yep! Good night Luce!" Natsu grinned after laying the blushing girl down. "And don't let the bed _slugs_ bite!" He laughed.

"..."

 **"It's bed bugs bite, you idiot. Where'd you get slug from?"**

As Natsu and Gray's playful banter died down, and all her friends fell asleep, Lucy finally grabbed at her shoulder and grimaced. She refrained from telling anyone how badly her scar was burning, or how it suddenly flared up when Natsu had touched her skin. For a moment it felt like Lucy was suffocating, and the shadows around the room looked like they were crawling up the walls. But as her two companions snoring reached her ears the pain momentarily died down. "Draco.. What did you do to me?"

* * *

 _-The Following Morning-_

Lucy barely slept throughout the night. Two of the three male members of her team snored all night, which had unfortunately kept her awake the entire time, and because of the immense pain in her shoulder that never seemed to stop burning. Without anything to do she set out into the forest while her friends were asleep and did some investigating on her own. Which brings us back to the current situation Natsu and Gray woke up to. "What the-?! Lucy's missing!" Happy screamed, as he pointed at the empty bed.

"D-don't tell me that the curse actually reached her? What if she's out there in a cage or something?!" Gray yelped.

"There's no way I'm lettin' them kill Lucy! Gimme back my friend!" Natsu roared, as he jumped out of the window with a flaming fist. Gray followed the pink haired boy closely as he sprinted into the center of the village, yelling profanities about what he'd do if Lucy was actually hurt. The villagers walked toward the slayer in confusion and quickly tried to calm him before he suddenly went on a rampage and destroyed something.

 _"You mean your blond friend? Oh, she left a little while ago. Said something about how she was going to search the rest of the island for clues on what caused the curse. Why? Did she not tell you?"_

Natsu, needless to say, was absolutely confused. He didn't understand why Lucy would suddenly leave without telling anyone, especially without knowing that types of effects the moon's light could have on her. Not only was she at risk by not knowing what the moon could do, she also couldn't use her dragon slaying magic. What was to say her Celestial Spirits alone could protect her from anything else inside the forest? The unsettling feeling in Natsu's gut only grew as he considered all the bad things that could happen to Lucy when she was alone, and in the blink of an eye he was sprinting through the woods tracking her scent.

* * *

"Lucy! Where are you-?!" Natsu fell to the ground with a grunt, as his body suddenly collided with something.

Groaning, the person sat up and gingerly rubbed their head. "Jesus Natsu! Look where you're going why don't you?"

"L-Lucy, you!" He gaped. "W-where were you?!" Natsu demanded, as he roughly grabbed the girl by her shoulders.

Flinching Lucy shoved Natsu away and slowly stood up from the ground. "You two were snoring so loud that I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't see the point in waiting around for you guys to wake up, so I decided to go looking around. What's the big deal anyways? Did something happen back at the village?"

"Did something happen?! You weren't there when we woke up, that's what happened! What was I supposed to do if something happened to you, huh!?" Natsu yelled in fury. "You can't just leave without telling anyone and not expect anyone to worry about you!"

"No one asked you to worry for me, Natsu! I was planning on coming back to get you guys so there's no need for you to be mad at me!" Lucy fired back feeling just as angry,

As the two Dragon Slayers fought they were unaware of the creature sneaking up behind them. The giant rat snickered evilly and swiped at the two wizards before spraying a green gas from it's mouth. Natsu and Lucy narrowly avoided the animal's claws and yelled in surprise as the gas quickly surrounded them. "Ice Make: Shield!"

Gray showed up in the nick of time and protected both of his friends from being engulfed by the rat's spray with his ice creation, while Natsu and Lucy quickly covered their nose. The rat took of running and Lucy grabbed her two companions wrists before turning on her heel. "Follow me!"

After using some of their magic to defeat the giant rat Lucy led her team to the Temple of Moon. It was a broken down building with a ceiling that was falling apart, and was almost completely covered in cobwebs. Gray talked about the irony of the situation, how there was a temple dedicated to the moon on an island cursed by the moon, while Natsu pointed out how unstable the floor was while he pounded his feet on it. "I found this place when I was out searching last night. But I didn't look very far into it because you guys weren't with me. Maybe now we can actually-!" Lucy's statement was cut off with a surprised scream as the floor suddenly crumbled from underneath her feet. Saiya quickly grabbed onto her blond friend and activated her wings, while Natsu, Happy and Gray all fell into a lower level underneath the temple.

* * *

Lucy's pain skyrocketed when her feet touched the ground, and she collapsed to her knee's when Saiya set her down. Natsu turned around in confusion when the girl's gasp reached his ears while Gray visibly froze in the background. Lucy began to clutch at her shoulder while she squinted up at Gray, struggling to form the words that she wanted to say. "G-G-Gray!" The blond stuttered, as her vision began to fade. "Y-y-you c-can't g-go n-n-near t-t-that!" Lucy cried. She tried to crawl toward the ice mage but the pain building up in her shoulder proved to be too much when her arms came out from under her. "I-I-It's... I-It's..! D-D-Deli-" Before Lucy could finish her warning her body slumped over and her eyes rolled shut.

"This can't be!" Gray screamed. "What's this doing here?! It's Deliora! What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?!"

"Listen, Gray! I don't know what's going on here, but something's wrong with Lucy! She passed out for some reason and she's burning up! C'mon man, you have to come help me!" Natsu yelled, as he pulled the girls head into his lap. "Gray? Are you listening to me?!"

"Deliora.. The demon of destruction.. Just how did it get here?!"

"Gray this isn't funny! Something's seriously wrong with Lucy, and I think I hear somebody coming! Are you even paying attention to me?!"

* * *

Inside Lucy's dream she was near snowy mountain next to a woman's house. Inside she could hear two young boys arguing and the woman laughing. As she approached the window she saw a boy that really resembled Gray, and another person with white hair that looked like the ground outside. "Honestly Gray when will you ever learn? At this rate you'll never be a great Ice Wizard like me, or Ur!" He snickered. Lucy couldn't help but think that they truly resembled a family, and for a moment her heart thumped painfully.

"Draco.. Why did you leave me?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: Was this new format easier for everybody to read? Thank you everybody for all the amazing reviews!**_

 _ **-Shunakoo25: I wish Gajeel and Wendy would show up already too, but I do have to follow the stories plot! I promise I'll try to get to those arcs soon!**_

 _ **-Darkverger1: I'm glad that you think so, and Lucy's magic will be unsealed soon! Thank you for your support with everything that's been going on.**_

 _ **-Trewill91: OK LITERALLY I LOVE YOU. I swear its like every-time I get a review it's from you and I love it so much! It's so great that you not only leave reviews but provide legitimate points that I need to address (like the one about rocks and stardust). Thank you~~**_

 _ **-OtakuGabby: I'm so glad that this story is one of your favorites, and I promise that I will try and update again soon.**_

 _ **-Guest: I didn't know that Lucy's ability to merge with her spirits was called Star-Dress form because I don't follow the manga, sadly. For now I'm going to continue calling it what I already do, and I will incorporate the actual term later on in the story, unless it becomes a big problem that bothers everybody. Thanks for letting me know!**_

 _ **(*I will be responding to more reviews in the next chapter if I haven't gotten to you yet!)**_

 _ **Before I end this chapter I just really wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate you. When I first started this story I never imagined that it was ever going to become this big or get such great readers. I cannot express how much I appreciate each and every one of you. Your feedback and constant reviews not only encourage me to write to my best ability but help me become better a better writer as a whole. Thank you so much for being so patient with me and with the awkward periods of time between reviews. I love you all so much, really, thank you!**_

 ** _HAS ANYONE EVER BEEN TO OHIO?_**

 ** _So, if you didn't know, I'm in an art program called Winter-Guard and my season is quickly coming to an end. I literally have one competition left and then my season is over, and I'll actually be free for updates pretty much every day! This last competition is the most important and I'm traveling from North Carolina all the way to Ohio. I'll be gone for roughly 5 days (Wednesday-Sunday) but I promise that I'll be free to update after that. I'll get to see guards from all over the world, and I'll be missing everyone during the time that I'm gone!_**

 ** _I'll try to update in the next 2 days but I will be practicing for most of the time, so please continue to be patient with me. (it will pay off I swear)_**

 ** _I really just want to thank you all again for supporting me in this rough time that I've been going through, I cannot thank you enough!_**

 ** _Leave a review, and favorite/follow if you haven't already! (Holy crap we've almost reached 200)_**

 ** _-xxTheNightmareBeforexx_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _This chapter was already uploaded but now I've gone back and rewritten it since it was so confusing, and after re-reading its content I wasn't pleased with what I had originally written._**

*Gray hasn't recognized Lucy yet because both of them have had the same memory sealed (up until this point).

-So I know that I've continued to say that I'm going to start updating regularly and I really have been trying to push chapters out whenever I'm free. However I would like to put it out there that my Marching Band tryouts/practices have been starting up again and my exams are coming soon. So, in short, I've been very busy with school. I promise that when summer break comes around and school is over that I will be updating more frequently. Until then please (please!) continue to be patient with me.

 _And my birthday is 7 days away (5/25) and I'm gonna turn 16. So excited XD_

 ** _Having said that please enjoy~_**

* * *

-The Northern Continent : The Outskirts of Brago-

Lucy absolutely hated the cold. She hated the white snow that completely covered the ground and detested how wet it made her clothes. She hated how badly her body hurt when the wind kicked in and couldn't be more annoyed than when small snow would get caught in her cloak, melting against her skin. But more than anything else Lucy hated the fact that she could never stay warm. No matter how many fires she started or shelters she built the cold still got through. If it wasn't wind knocking over her fort, or snow landing directly on her campfire, she was sitting around in wet clothes. And to make matters worse every-time she woke up in the morning half of her body would be buried under several thick inches of snow. Lucy hated the mountains, hated the snow, and hated the cold more than anything else in the world

With an obnoxious, child-like groan Lucy threw a stick into her campfire and balanced her face in the palm of her hand. She glanced around at the snow-covered forest in boredom and desperately searched for something that could take her attention away from the snow biting at her skin. "Out of all places Draco could leave us why'd he have to choose a mountain?" Lucy yelled in frustration while yanking at her hair.

Giggling at her friends behavior, Saiya shook her head and grinned playfully. "Well.. This was the only place Draco could land without being seen by anyone. And it was also the only town in miles that we would actually be able to get into. Besides, weren't you the one that kept complaining about how we'd been flying for too long?" The silver exceed responded. "Either way we should be grateful that he's not here right now, forcing us to train and all that. You know he hates it when you complain." She added.

Stubbornly, Lucy crossed her arms and glared at a random tree. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I still don't understand how it takes someone three days to get a few supplies! He's been gone for too long -should've been back by now." The blond grunted.

"I'm not really sure about that either. He should be back soon though. I don't think he would ever leave us behind like that and just disappear."

For a split second a jolt of fear shot through Lucy's body. Just the idea of never seeing Draco again scared the girl terribly, and she had trouble not going out in search of him immediately. Thoughts of being abandoned and being left alone plagued her mind, driving her to the edge of her sanity. If there was one thing she hated more than the cold, more than the snow, more than anything else in the world, it was being left alone. Nothing scared Lucy more than the thought of being left behind. While she understood that under no circumstances would Saiya leave her behind, Draco was the only other family she had, and sometimes she was afraid that he would leave her when everything was said and done. Lucy built her life on Draco and Saiya being apart of it; of having her two closest friends being there to support her when she was weak. Lucy didn't know what she would do with herself if she ever came to loose them, so just the thought of never seeing them again striked immense fear in her heart.

"But now that I think about it he's probably trying to find you something special, like a present! That flimsy old cloak you're wearing hasn't done anything to protect you from the cold, so I'm guessing that he's trying to find you a new one. Draco wouldn't want you to get sick! Besides, I'm pretty sure that he knows you don't like the cold. So he's probably trying to get you something so you're not so miserable all the time." Saiya added. "He may not always show it, or even act like it, but I know that he does love you Lucy. I do too! Both of us would go to the end of the world to protect you, you know."

At her exceeds kind words Lucy's face erupted into a dark blush, which she tried to hide in her arms, causing Saiya to start giggling. "Tch whatever. Doesn't mean I love that bastard back." She muttered as she attempted to hide her growing blush.

"As if! Everyone knows you love him more than anything else in the world! It's OK, you don't have to say it, we all see through you anyways!" The exceed snickered playfully.

While Saiya continued her teasing Lucy's ears twitched as she heard something off in the distance. It sounded like a dull, faint roar that almost resembled a dragons, but was too low of a sound to belong to the same species. As the noise got closer and louder in volume the ground began to shake ever-so-slightly causing the blonds eyes to narrow suspiciously. Lucy doubted she would have even picked up on the sound if she hadn't noticed the distant roar in the first place. And for a minute she just sat there straining her ears to clearly hear the noise, desperately trying to identify what type of beast was heading her way.

Yet no matter how hard Lucy tried she couldn't figure out what creature the sound belonged to. The ground steadily came to shake and the noise became more prominent as minutes came to pass. Even Saiya perked up at the foreign sound and glanced around in confusion upon hearing it.

"What's that sound?" The exceed questioned.

"I dunno. Been trying to find out what it was for the past five minutes." Lucy shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "I doubt it's anything serious though. Probably just a giant Vulcan or something."

In any other instance Saiya would have accepted Lucy's answer, but as she heard a loud crack followed by a whizzing sound her body couldn't help but move on its own. With an incredible burst of speed the exceed darted forward and roughly seized the blond by her shoulders. As they quickly soared into the sky Lucy choked on her spit when Saiya narrowly avoided a broken tree sent flying her way. Had they not moved when they did both girls would have been completely crushed by the large plant, and as they flew high above the clearing of the forest Lucy swore she felt her heart stop dead in her chest.

"W-what is that?!" Saiya squealed in fear as her eyes landed on the large beast.

Beady, dark black eyes bore out of its head and deadly sharp black spikes protruded from its back. Dark blue scales the entirety of its giant form while an unkempt mane of black hair fell just below its neck, and a matching pair of horns extended out of its square forehead. But what was possibly the most disturbing was its human-like structure; with two functioning arms and feet, as well as developed muscles, the monster looked like a force to be reckoned with. And as it opened its mouth to let out a piercing scream it also revealed a vicious pair of sharp teeth.

Lucy shuddered involuntarily as the beast easily crushed a large group of trees with its feet, and accidentally made the mistake of imagining what it would be like to be there on the ground instead of the trees. Possibly more surprising was how fast the monster moved. Within seconds it had already covered several yards, wiping out more than half of the forest, and destroyed everything in its way. As Saiya flew high enough to be out of the creatures reach Lucy's heart sunk even lower. Everything that she could see was either on fire or completely demolished. Terror filled screams from the surrounding towns bounced around in her head and the dying cried of the innocent echoed throughout the land. In that single moment Lucy understood what monstrosity had been committed, _and more importantly_ _she understood why Draco wasn't back yet._

The blonds gaze drifted over to the tranquil, undisturbed town several yards away. They sat unaware to the terror going on around them; without a clue as to what was about to happen to them. They'd be taken by storm and completely by surprise when the monster finally reached their town, and Lucy flinched as she considered the possible fatalities that awaited. "We have to get to Brago!" She suddenly exclaimed while pointing at the nearby town. "That _thing_ is going headed there as we speak. If we don't get there before _it_ does and warn them a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt!"

"Huh? B-but Draco told us to stay here and wait for him! What if he comes here looking for us? We can't just leave!" Saiya shook her head.

"That doesn't matter right now! People might die if we don't do something!" Lucy snapped in retaliation.

With a deep frown the silver exceed glanced down at the scaly beast. "Don't kid yourself Lucy! There's no way you can take that thing on by yourself! You're going to get yourself hurt playing hero all the time!" She cried. "You may be strong but that doesn't mean you're going to win every battle you get yourself into! We have to wait for Draco to come back!"

The blonds hands curled up to form tight fists and she clenched her teeth in an attempt to bite down her fear. "That doesn't matter right now! People are going to get hurt if we don't do something!" Lucy snapped in retaliation.

Fear bubbled up in Lucy's gut as the monster roared once more, and she clenched her hands into fists in an attempt to bite it down. **"I know!"** Lucy choked. "I know that I stand no chance against that thing. Deep down I know that! But no one ever said that I was going to fight it. All we need to do is evacuate the town, that's it! I'm not going to come in contact with that thing unless I have to!" Glancing over her shoulder at her friend Lucy sent Saiya a pleading look. "Please! I won't be able to live with myself if we don't at least _try_ to do something!"

Despite the voice telling her to stay put, telling her that this was wrong, Saiya entered Max Speed and flew far ahead of the blue beast. "Then we gotta make this quick! The second I see that thing near the town I'm going to pull you outta there!" She yelled over the howling wind. "Now let's do this!"

* * *

The weather was relentless and unforgiving as Lucy and Saiya flew to Brago causing it to be a difficult journey for the both of them. Strong winds made it difficult for the exceed to fly while the snow made her paws go completely numb. Moments of fear would surge through her small form when a gust of wind would make Lucy move at an odd angle, or when her paws got so cold that she thought she might drop the blond. But each time she felt like giving up or that she just couldn't take any more Lucy would say something encouraging and give her the strength to push through the pain. It would only be a little while longer until they reached the town, and with Lucy so dependent on getting there before the beast did Saiya knew she couldn't mess anything up.

Meanwhile, Lucy felt immensely guilty due to the fact that she couldn't do anything for her closest friend. All she could offer were a few kind words, but what were those supposed to do? Cheering her on wouldn't take away her exceeds pain. Telling her everything was "going to be OK" didn't make her suffering just. What were her words supposed to do in the first place? Lucy didn't know a spell that could wash away the cold, or give herself the ability to fly, so what could she really do? It truly hurt her heart to know that she was the very reason that her friend was experiencing so much pain. And more than anything that she still asked Saiya to fly despite knowing that she wasn't an experienced flyer.

Her exceed was only a few years old and should have been able to fly without difficulty, but after hatching two months early it was only normal that she would have some types of complications. Not only was she extremely underweight, but one of her wings wasn't as developed as the other. As a result she couldn't fly normally. Lucy was surprised alone by the fact that her exceed could even lift her into the air, let alone fly at such a high speed -and for as long as she had. Lucy wasn't sure if Saiya would ever forgive her for what she had done, but if by some miracle she did Lucy didn't know if she would ever forgive herself. The blond could only hope that they would get to the town quick enough, and that she would have enough time, to evacuate everyone before the beast arrived. That way her exceed wouldn't have to strain herself and get into more pain by flying her out of danger (again).

"Look! Brago's right there Saiya! Hold on just a little bit longer, you're doing great!" Her own words put a foul taste in her mouth, and Lucy could only imagine what it sounded like in Saiya's ears.

Grinning weakly, the silver exceed laughed off her pain and simply shook her head. "I'm not doing anything Lu. I get all my strength from you!"

Upon hearing her strained voice Lucy struggled not forcing her friend to land right there just so that she could run the remaining mile to Brago. Yet if she did ask Saiya to land there was the risk of the monster catching up, and if that happened her exceeds pain would have been all for nothing. So with extreme guilt and difficulty Lucy ignored Saiya's muffled whimpering and pinned her gaze on the town. Above everything else she didn't want to see her best friends face written in pain.

* * *

 ** _-15 Minutes Later-_**

 _"Somebody, please! Open Up!"_

 _"You need to get your family out of here!"_

 _"If you want to stay alive you need to grab your wife and leave!"_

 _"You have to listen to me!"_

 _"You're in danger!"_

 _"I'm not just a kid! Listen to me!"_

After what felt like an eternity of running Lucy finally dropped to her knees in exhaustion. Her throat hurt from constantly screaming at people to "open up" and her heart thumped painfully against her chest. She could barely catch her breath, even after collapsing to the ground, and her legs burned under constant strain. Lucy had ran around the entire town and knocked on every door she saw. Anyone on the streets were berated with frantic statements explaining why they had to leave immediately, and concerned house owners were woken from their sleep when she pounded on their doors. She tried explaining the immediate danger heading their way, stressing how people would get hurt if they didn't leave, but no one listened. Not a single person took heed to her warning. Doors were rudely slammed in Lucy's face while harsh remarks saying that she was "just a child" were spat her way. She was written off as nothing more than a hysterical little girl who didn't know what she was talking about; no one believed her.

In that exact moment, as she sat on the cold, wet ground, Lucy had never felt so weak. How could she have been so utterly useless? She couldn't save a few innocent families lives or relieve Saiya of her pain. She didn't know a spell that could make people see the truth or have the power to defeat her strongest enemies. She couldn't even convince a few people to leave their homes in order to avoid danger. So what could she really do? It was always Saiya and Draco running to her rescue when things got tough. One of them was always there to help her out of trouble or to support her in her hardest times. But when had she ever really done anything by herself? Had she ever truly done anything on her own? Her heart quickly sunk at the realization. She wasn't strong nor worthy to wield the magic that she did. She didn't deserve to have such a genuine friend or the father (dragon) that she did. She wasn't strong. The only thing Lucy could really say that she had ever done successfully was being a failure of a wizard.

"Lucy? What're we supposed to do now? No one's listened to you thus far and I don't think we have any more time to waste." Saiya hesitantly questioned as she glanced at the blond.

With a constricted voice Lucy said, "I don't know. No matter what I say they refuse to believe me. Don't they realize that I'm trying to help? Can't they see that I'm trying to prevent something terrible from happening to them? Something that's already happened the towns surrounding them? Do they not understand that by staying here they're killing themselves?!" She chuckled bitterly. "And then there's me. How come I never saw it before now, Saiya? I'm just as ignorant as they are. Always have been."

"What are you talking about Lucy? I don't think that you're ignorant. Why would you say that?"

"Because I am. Maybe even more than they are. Who am I to say that I'm the daughter of a dragon? What right do I have to claim the tittle of a Dragon Slayer? I couldn't help you when you were in pain just like how I couldn't save this town from danger! Me, a Dragon Slayer? Please!" Her exceed flinched as she scoffed harshly. "Instead of fighting that thing when I had the chance I choose to cower in the face of fear and run away. Instead of trying to stall that beast, maybe even take it down, I took the passive approach and tried to issue a warning. Yeah, some plan that worked out to be."

Saiya frowned and shook her head feverishly. "You can't do that!" She yelled. "You can't sit there and beat yourself up over one problem you couldn't fix! You're not allowed to be mad at yourself because you can't be the hero all the time! It's not your fault that these people wouldn't listen to you. What else were you supposed to do other than what you already did? It makes no sense to beat yourself up over every little thing! You can't always win everything! You're right, you don't know a spell that can make people see the truth. You don't have the power to prevent people from suffering. But there's nothing that you can do about it! Sitting here, destroying yourself because you couldn't do one thing, isn't going to fix anything! Nothing is going to change. **You can't save everyone!** "

For a second time Lucy's hands curled up into tight fists, and her nails actually ended up piercing her skin until they drew blood. "All I've ever wanted was the strength to protect people. Is that wrong? Is it wrong for me to be upset that I couldn't help you? Is it wrong for me to be mad that I couldn't stop this town from being destroyed? _Is it wrong for me to want to prevent these families from experiencing the suffering I'm so familiar with?_ You can't honestly tell me that I'm wrong in trying to keep people from ending up alone!"

"What's wrong is that you continuously put all the burden on yourself." Saiya knew that what she was about to say was incredibly cruel, and that it would probably break Lucy's heart. But she also understood that it was her only hope of getting her friend to willingly leave. It was the only way to get Lucy to leave. Saving her friends life took top priority over everything else. Even if that meant Saiya got hated in the process. She had to expose Lucy's weaknesses. "The truth is that you humans are weak. They always have been, which is why your race tried so hard to learn magic; why you try so hard to learn magic. You're always getting yourself into trouble and causing fights without any rhyme or reason. You also have the shortest temper out of any person I've ever met. But that's what makes you, you." She gulped in preparation for what was to come. "But no matter how many spells you learn, or keys you come to have contracts with, you know deep down that you'll never be strong enough to protect everyone. You fight so hard to try and protect everyone you come across, but no matter what you can't save them all. You won't be able to save the person you don't know, the one you just met on the street one day, and even the people you come to love the most."

 **"Because no matter what happens you won't always be able to be the hero; you can't always save people. Your weakness is a universal one, Lucy. It's that no matter how much power you come to acquire you won't always save the person you love."**

In the blink of an eye Lucy was gone without so much as a trace of her ever being there. Saiya frantically called out her name and looked around the nearby streets and corners, but was unable to find any signs. However, the exceeds heart lurched in her chest as she saw something move off in the distance, and an object shining on the ground. Screams of terror flooded Brago in seconds as Deliora began it's attack. People rushed out onto the streets and ran off in different directions, shoving one another around and almost crushing Saiya in the process, but she couldn't take her eyes off of one thing: _Lucy's keys._

* * *

 _ **A/N:** -Literally I have never been so angry before. I don't know if its my computer or just this website, but I literally had to rewrite an entire chapter after it forcibly deleted it. I went to save everything (which I periodically do so that I don't loose everything I just wrote and have to rewrite it again) and it said that I had to login... First off how was I going to be writing a chapter under my account and not be logged in? That doesn't make any sense. So I had to log back in to my account and literally every single thing I wrote was deleted. An entire three hours worth of work down the drain. I cannot express how desperately I wanted to slam my computer shut and just give up for the day, but I knew that it wouldn't be fair to you guys if I did that. So I pushed through, got something to drink, and rewrote everything._

 _[But what makes me even more mad is the fact that this isn't the first time this has ever happened to me.]_

 _OK so in this chapter I wanted to try and build off of/acknowledge Lucy's insecurities and weaknesses. I have never intentionally made Lucy in a winning seat and was doing it unconsciously, so thank you for pointing that out **aidansidhe**. I felt like the last time I updated it was a really big let down and was just completely rushed (/didn't read well). I apologize if this (new) version of Chapter 10 confused anyone!_

 _Also, In order for Lucy to regain a memory something has to trigger her brain to remember that specific event, and if it's a successful trigger and her body can withstand it, then Lucy will gain the memory pertaining to that event. However, if a memory pertains to another person both parties have to be triggered. In other words if Lucy had a memory about meeting Levy both of them would have had the same memory sealed away, and then both of them would have to be triggered in order to remember one another. So while Lucy is going through a memory right now, Gray hasn't been triggered to regain the same memory, so neither of them recognized one another yet._ **(Does that make sense?)**

Thank you all for your patience and reviews on the last update. Everything that was said was taken into careful consideration, so please do not hesitate to do the same with this chapter. (Constructive criticism is always helpful!)

As usual I love you guys and thank you for reading!

I will try to update again when I can!

- **xxTheNightmareBeforexx**


	11. Chapter 11

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 _HOLY CRAP WHEN DID WE REACH 196 FOLLOWERS?! YOU GUYS ARE LITERALLY THE BEST!_

-Guys, it's finally summer! Sorry for my short little absence, I was busy studying for exams, but now that school is over I'm free to update this story whenever I want! I'm glad to be back.

Hope you enjoy this update!

* * *

-The Northern Continent : Brago-

Lucy sputtered as she coughed up another mouthful of blood. Her hands frantically pressed at the bleeding wound on her stomach, but her movements were limited due to the debris crushing her body, which was slowly forcing blood out of her stomach and up her throat where she would choke and cough it out, as she desperately gasped for air that couldn't seem to meet her lungs. Moving around only seemed to make thinks worse so the blond opted to wriggle her frostbitten toes as she pushed on the gash on her stomach in an attempt to keep herself awake, but even that was proving to be futile. Whether it was an effect of losing so much blood or just because of how cold it was outside, Lucy didn't know, but she was having a very difficult time staying awake.

As she lay, crushed underneath pieces of a home and slabs of concrete, Lucy was only aware of a few things; one of which was the contrast of temperatures. The air was freezing cold as thick snowflakes fell from the sky, making the ground feel like a slab of ice, but her blood was so warm as it pooled around her shivering figure. Another was how inviting falling asleep felt. Her body hurt so bad that anytime she moved, breathed even, immense pain shot throughout her nerves. If she just closed her eyes and succumbed to the warmth sleep provided she wouldn't be in any more pain, right? She wouldn't have to experience the burning sensation as blood gushed out of her wounds, or have to go through the terrifying experience of choking anymore. If Lucy just closed her eyes and fell asleep she wouldn't have to taste the metallic edge of blood in her mouth that made her want to gag and head spin. If she just closed her eyes and slept she wouldn't have to feel any more pain. And nothing seemed better than that offer in that moment of time.

Yet, for some reason, Lucy fought to keep her eyes open. Despite everything telling her to just give up and pass quietly, she kept her eyes opened and pinned on Deliora's form with blurry vision. Every time her eyes fell shut Lucy would see a flash of silver and they would bolt back open. A voice in the back of her head would say, "What's the point anyways? No one's going to come and find you. You left your only friend behind, and now look at you, _you're all alone_." And Lucy knew that this was true. She did leave Saiya behind and now she was stuck under a pile of debris bleeding to death. The chances of anyone finding her were close to zero, and even if someone did manage to find her, what would they do? No one in their right mind would willingly stop to help her with a demon so close by. What's to say that they wouldn't end up in the same position she was in? Lucy knew she was alone. She knew she left her friend behind. She knew countless reasons that all told her to just give up, yet the idea of Saiya flying by and seeing her dead body was unbearable. Lucy couldn't do that to her friend, and she wouldn't do that to herself! She would keep on fighting until her last breath.

Tears began to blur Lucy's vision and she had to bite her tongue to keep from letting out a strangled cry. "I-I'm s-so s-sorry S-Saiya!" She whimpered. "I-I k-know I s-should h-have l-listened t-to you, b-but I w-was s-so s-scared!" Lucy stuttered as the snow really began to fall. "I j-just w-wanted t-to p-prove t-that I c-could p-protect y-you!" The tears streaming out of her eyes made her face sting from the cold, adding to her immense pain, and that only made Lucy cry harder. She was completely overwhelmed by the fact that she had put herself into this situation; that she was the cause of her own demise. If she wasn't so stubborn in the first place and just listened to her friend's advice, she wouldn't be stuck under all this debris; she wouldn't be dying. "I j-just w-wanted t-to prove t-that I w-was strong!"

Lucy couldn't feel anything now; her body had gone completely numb. Black dots began to mar her vision until she could barely see, and Lucy could swear that this was the end. Her hands fell from her stomach, her body going limp, while her head fell backward. "Don't cry!" The voice in the back of her head had said. "You won't have to hurt anymore. Now you can just sleep. You'll finally be relieved of your pain." Without the energy left to fight, Lucy succumbed to the cold and let her eyes fall shut. Almost immediately she stopped breathing, and within an instant, everything came to an end.

"S-sorry..."

* * *

 **"Hey! Are you alright?!"**

Gray pulled the girl out of the debris with trembling hands and resisted the urge to gag as he spotted the gaping wound on her stomach. It was spitting out blood nonstop, which would explain why most of her skin had been dyed a nasty red, at an alarming rate, and made him worry that she'd die of blood loss if he didn't find a way to stop it. Her chest was barely moving but if the small white clouds coming from her mouth told him anything, it was that she definitely was breathing, so there was still a chance at saving her life if he worked fast. In a state of panic, Gray pressed his hands against her wound in an attempt to make it stop bleeding. He flinched in surprise as she harshly cried out in pain and stumbled backward as her bloodshot eyes suddenly shot open.

Lucy wheezed as she pushed at her wound, hands fumbling from all the blood, as she tried to stop the bleeding. Her stomach clenched and a wave of nausea overran her senses when she saw all the blood. She glanced around in desperation for something that could close up the wound, or at least cover it to stop the bleeding, but only the remains of destroyed houses and buildings littered the street. With nothing around for her to use there wasn't anything, Lucy could do now. She'd been woken up from her peaceful sleep just so she could suffer through the same pain again, only in a different spot than before. There was no way to stop the bleeding.

As he took in her appearance, Gray's stomach churned with a foreign feeling that was oddly familiar. Her lips were a dark blue while some of her extremities were turning a nasty purple hue from frostbite. Strands of her blond hair were now red from soaking in some of her blood, sticking together as an effect of being frozen from the cold, and her skin was so white from blood loss that it resembled the snow falling from the sky. Her clothes were shredded and torn which exposed more of her skin to the cold, increases her chances of frostbite, and worst of all, the wounds that littered her skin didn't seem to have an end and were coated with thick layers of dirt that would likely lead to an infection.

Without thinking Gray's body moved on its own as his brain formulated a quick plan. His hands tore off a good portion of the bottom half of his shirt and he daringly reached out to thread it underneath her body, behind her back, and around her stomach, to form a makeshift tourniquet that would close off her wound and temporarily stop the bleeding. Lucy glanced at him in confusion as he took a deep breath, hands hovering above her stomach, and yelled in pain as he suddenly tightened the cloth, forming a tight knot around her stomach.

"I'm not a doctor but I'm pretty sure that should stop the bleeding. For a little while, anyways." The boy explained as he slowly helped Lucy sit up straight, shrugging off his jacket in the process. "You lost a lot of blood, though, so you should take it easy until you see a professional." Leaning forward, he draped his jacket over her shoulders and helped the girl slip her arms into the sleeves. "My name's Gray, by the way. I found you trapped under that debris a while ago and barely managed pulled you out. How'd you get trapped under all that mess, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Aren't you going to be cold?" Lucy bit back almost defensively as she dodged the question. She was confused why someone had suddenly stopped to help her. Was he looking for something in return for his kindness, or was he really helping her out of the goodness of his heart?

Gray pulled himself to his feet, offering the blond his hand, and shrugged dismissively. "Not really. I have, well, _had,_ this crazy mentor who made me and this other kid stand outside in the snow with barely any clothes on. It was supposed to be for training or something like that." He confessed. "So I'm used to the cold by now. You, on the other hand, look like you've been having a hard time adjusting to it." The boy added as he gestured to her hands, which were turning blue.

For a moment, silence fell upon the two as they sat in the middle of the street. Lucy tucked her hands into the pockets of the jacket and broke the silence with an awkward cough. "Lucy." The blond murmured as she glanced in the other direction.

"Sorry?"

"My name," She repeated with a small scowl. "is Lucy. It's common knowledge that you give someone your name when you introduce yourself. You told me who you were, so I'm telling you who I am. It's the polite thing to do, you know.." Lucy said. Her face flushed slightly as she felt Gray's intense stare on her face, and she quickly looked at the ground as a way to avoid his curious gaze. "You wanted to know how I ended up under those rocks right? A little while ago my friend and I got into an argument and I ran off like an idiot. I was so determined to fight that _thing_ that I ran off without thinking, and-!"

"Wait a minute! Did you just say that you tried to fight Deliora? You're a wizard?!" Gray asked with wide eyes as he seized the girl by her shoulders.

Lucy grimaced slightly at the action because it caused the tourniquet to rub against her wound, but answered his question nonetheless. "Yeah. I use Dragon Slaying Magic and Celestial Spirit Magic." Gray looked at Lucy in disbelief causing her to grind her teeth in annoyance. "And yes, Dragons _are_ real." She added. "Anyways," Lucy said in a sharp tone. "I ran off without thinking and tried taking that demon on by myself. I got a couple of good hits in and managed to lead it away from most of the people of this town, but I let my guard down for one second and got blown backward by its tail. I broke through three houses before being crushed by a broken wall. I guess something cut me because the next thing I knew I was bleeding all over myself. I passed out, you found me, and now here we are."

"You're pretty brave facing Deliora on your own like that. I bet your friend would be proud of you."

Inside the jacket, Lucy's hands clenched into fists. "I doubt it. She told me that I'd end up hurting myself and I did. I betcha I look pretty stupid."

"Sometimes people won't always understand that you just have to do certain things. Even if they end up getting mad at you, you still have to do what you were meant to do." A flash of Ur and Lyon passed through Gray's head and he straightened out his back with a sigh. "I suggest that you go find your friend and get out of here. It's not safe for you to be around here, especially with that wound of yours." He advised.

"What about you?" Lucy called out as Gray started to walk away.

"Me? I have a score to settle."

Somehow Lucy found herself repeating what her friend had said so many times as Gray got further down the street. "You can't be the hero all the time." Her words seemed to strike something within him because the boy froze and glanced at the blond from the corner of his eyes. "Just think about that before you do something stupid. There's no guarantee that someone will always be able to save you if you do end up getting hurt."

"I know." He gulped.

"That's good."

Lucy rose to her feet, and just like that, they both went their own ways. They were strangers who met purely by chance so she felt no obligation to tell Gray how he should live his life, or to even let him know if the choice he was making was the wrong one. She was familiar with what was going on in his mind which is why Lucy turned her back on him and walked away. Gray could make his own choices on how to live his life. She didn't have the right to give him any advice. So they both walked down opposite ways of the street, not knowing that a few years from now their stories would intertwine again, just in a very different way.

 _"Be careful, Gray."_

* * *

 _ **A/N: OK PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME! I KNOW THAT THIS UPDATE WAS REALLY SHORT BUT I NEEDED TO GET LUCY'S MEMORY OUT OF THE WAY SO THAT I CAN GET BACK ON WITH THE STORY!**_

 _ **I'm going to work on the next chapter right after I upload this one, and I promise that it will be a REAL update! I just really want to get back on with the Galuna Island Arc and get deeper into the story, which I bet that you guys want that too!**_

 **If I don't update later tonight I'll have it up by tomorrow!**

 **Happy Summer Everybody!**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**


	12. Chapter 12

_**IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!**_

 _I'M BACK WITH THAT NEW CHAPTER I PROMISED~~~~_

 ** _OH MY FREAKING GOD WE HAVE 201 FOLLOWERS ON THIS STORY! YOU GUYS ARE LITERALLY THE BEST, I'M FREAKING CRYING RIGHT NOW. I LOVE YOU ALL!_**

 ** _**This is chapter is in real time. It's no a flashback scene!**_**

 _ENJOY!_

* * *

-Galuna Island : Below the Temple of Moon-

As he sat underneath the old, abandoned temple Gray had a lot of time to think. Something, he wasn't exactly sure what it was, clicked inside of his brain when his eyes first landed on Deliora, and memories of his childhood came flooding back. They ranged from bright glimpses of training with Ur and arguing with Lyon to dark recollections of when everything went wrong, eventually leading to Ur's death. A particular memory, though, brought him more surprise than the typical sadness associated with his past. It was weird having a new memory to a past that he thought he knew everything about, but it was also oddly satisfying knowing that there was a brighter twist to his story. This was just one that he knew nothing about; until now.

So, with a lot of time to waste, Gray was able to dissect this memory and think about what it had to do with his new blond friend. He thought about what had happened when they first met, why he couldn't remember who she was when they saw each other again, and, more importantly, how Lucy would react once she finally woke up from her seemingly endless sleep.

He imagined that when the blond did wake up she would be dazed, or at least in a state of slight confusion. He envisioned that she would slowly glance around the cave as to take in her surroundings, ask what happened to her, and console her hysterical exceed that barely left her side. Along the way, amidst the chaos, she would nod his way, acknowledging what had happened between them, and that would be the end of things. They wouldn't make a big deal out of what had happened or of their shared memory, and they would instead keep is as a secret a secret that just the two of them would bear. Yet he had so many assumptions about how Lucy would react when she finally came to her senses that he wouldn't be prepared for the real thing. Everything that Gray thought was going to happen was so far off base that it was almost laughable. Because when Lucy finally did wake up she didn't do anything close to his assumptions.

 **"Gray, you bastard!"**

Lucy launched to her feet in the blink of an eye with a feverish shriek falling from her lips. She lunged at Gray's unsuspecting figure like a maniac before latching onto his chest, her arms and legs pinning him from going anywhere. The Ice-Make wizard stumbled backward under the girls weight and his hands darted out to steady her body so they didn't fall over. For a second, Gray thought Lucy was mad at him. Her erratic behavior and actions all suggested that she was, especially because her fingers were digging painfully into his side, but when the soft melody of her laughter reached his ears he realized he was wrong.

When she glanced up to meet his confused gaze, Gray then noticed the teasing glint in her brown eyes alongside the small smile pulling at her lips, and as he looked down at her posture he saw that she was just hugging him tightly, not purposely trying to inflict his pain. She seemed genuinely happy to have seen him again, which was odd considering how mad she'd been at him when they first landed on the island, but he gladly welcomed the newfound emotion without difficulty.

"You know, it's rude to leave a lady by herself in the cold. Especially in an area that she's not familiar with." Lucy sighed in mock annoyance before pulling herself away from Gray. Her hand found its way to her hip and her head tilted to the left as she playfully glared at her friend. "Honestly! You'd think that your mother would've taught you some better manners!"

"Is that so?" Gray smirked back. "Well, then you'll just have to give this lady my apologies. I thought my help was more than enough. After all, I did give her my only jacket _and_ it was freezing cold outside. I guess I'll have to apologize to my mother too for acting like such a barbarian."

Lucy huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder at Gray's witty response. "Oh, you poor thing you! It must have been terrible to have to walk in the snow!" She snorted. Playfully rolling her eyes she added, "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure the lady gets your shitty apology."

Off in the background, Natsu made a sound as he slowly woke up from his own nap, and Lucy realized her peaceful moment with her old friend was about to end. With a small click of her tongue, Lucy turned on her heel and started in the other direction. As he glanced at her back Gray was immediately reminded of the end of their first meeting when both of them went their separate ways, and he was hit with a sudden feeling of melancholy.

"Hey Gray," Lucy glanced at him from over her shoulder and smiled softly. Almost as if her grin was contagious he felt his own start to form as she finished off her statement. "Thanks for everything you did for me that day. I don't think that I would I would be standing here right now if it weren't for you, so, you know, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." He nodded his head. "Just let me know if you ever need to borrow my jacket again. God knows how badly you react to the cold!" He joked.

Lucy's eyes flashed mischievously as she said, "Aren't you the one who never wears any clothes? All of us would be lucky if you don't end up getting naked for a day, you damn stripper!"

* * *

Natsu waking up, however, was a completely different story. He had to be the most obnoxious and nasty human being that Lucy and Gray had ever seen; it was almost painful to watch him come to his senses. Half of his face was covered in dried spit due to the steady stream of drool that dripped out of his mouth, and to make matters worse, every time he breathed a giant snot bubble would pop in and out of his nose. As his brash snores echoed throughout the cave Lucy scrunched her nose up in disgust.

"That's nasty." She shivered.

As if hearing her voice was the only reason he woke up in the first place, Natsu's eyes shot open and he yelled in surprise, scaring Lucy half to death, before bolting to his feet. He tripped over himself and his sleeping exceed in the process, just so he could tackle the blond to the ground. When they hit the ground a loud thud bounced off the walls of the cave and the pinkette didn't waste any time in burying his face in the girls chest. Lucy violently writhed around in the boy's grip as she pushed and shoved at his face in an attempt to keep the snot and drool away, while Natsu talked enthusiastically about how happy he was to see that she was finally awake, and rubbed his face on her clothes anyways.

"O-Oi!" The blond cried as she tried to pry herself out of Natsu's grip. "Let me go! You're going to ruin my shirt!"

Much to her annoyance Natsu ignored her pleas and continued to do as he pleased. "You really are a weird one Luce! Who just passes out for no reason? You're the biggest oddball I know!" He yelled as he practically smothered her. With a more serious edge to his tone, though, he suddenly asked: "Why'd you pass out anyways? Are you sick or something?"

With a small scowl tugging at her lips, Lucy shoved Natsu away and looked at her hands so she wouldn't have to meet his prodding gaze. "I don't know, to be honest. All I really remember is falling through the floor and feeling an extreme heat coat my body when we got down here. I thought it was your fire at first but somehow I knew it wasn't, it was too different, and after that I passed out. I haven't got the slightest clue why any of this happened." She confessed.

"Well I don't know much about why this happened either but you did have a crazy fever for most of the time that you were passed out, which may explain why you felt so hot all of a sudden," Gray interjected as he found a spot on the ground to sit on. "Saiya said something about might knowing what was going on. She told me that you shouldn't stress about it because she had everything under control and that if you finally did wake up we were supposed to keep it that way."

As Natsu opened his mouth to say something another voice was added to the conversation, cutting him off before he could say anything. "And you did a good job doing exactly that," Saiya grinned. "Hey, Lu! Glad to see that you're finally up!"

* * *

Saiya floated to the blonds side and landed gently in her lap, a soft smile brightening her face upon seeing that she was awake. Lucy instinctively reached out and patted her exceed's head with the same happy expression written across her features. "Seems to me that you have an idea of what's going on here. Mind sharing with the rest of us? We're kinda just sitting in the dark here." She hummed.

"I'll tell you what I _think_ is going on because I don't know that everything I'm about to say is going to be true, but it's all we've got so far and I guess that's better than nothing." She explained. "Now bear with me because I'm pretty sure that this might be hard to follow. I have reason to believe that you passed out because there's _too much_ magic trapped inside of your body. Those runes that have been preventing you from using your Dragon Slaying Magic have flared up twice since we've gotten here when you've been sleeping, and I think it has to do with this 'Moons Curse' the islanders were talking about. Without realizing it you've always been slowly absorbing magic from the sky because it's another way that you get your element. But you've always absorbed it in such small amounts that you've never consciously realized that you've been doing it. Since this is such a natural process that your body goes through it's never been something you've had to worry about; until now." Saiya revealed.

"OK, so I've been absorbing stuff from the moon. Why's it affecting me now when it hasn't in the past?" Lucy questioned.

"I'm getting to that. Like I said, your body has always absorbed this natural magic in **small** amounts. But I believe that because there's some sort of curse on this island that's affecting the moon, you've started to absorb this magic rapidly in larger amounts. Normally this wouldn't be a problem for you, though, because you'd be able to naturally spend this extra energy by using your Dragon Slaying Magic since it uses the majority of your reserves. I think that those runes are doing more than preventing you from using your magic, even inadvertently, which is what's causing this problem to happen. Since we've gotten here you've barely used any of your Gate Keys, and since you can't use your other magic, you haven't really gotten rid of any of this extra energy."

Natsu scratched his head in confusion, not really following the conversation, but Lucy and Gray's eyes widened in realization. "Wait! So you're telling me that since I can't use my regular magic, and because I haven't been using my Celestial Spirit magic, all of this energy has just been building up in my body without anywhere to go? What happens if I don't continue to use any of it?"

"I don't know and that's what worries me the most!" Saiya frowned. "We have to get those runes off of you, Lu, before anything bad happens! I can't loose you!" The silver exceed buried her face in Lucy's stomach and started to cry, overwhelmed with the idea of never seeing her best friend again. "I don't want to imagine what'll happen if your magic continues to build up inside of you!"

"I don't understand a word any of you just said, but Luce has two magics right? Why can't she just use the spirit one and get rid of some of that energy?" Natsu called out.

With a sigh, Lucy shook her head disappointedly. "It's not that easy. All of my spirits have schedules, so I can't just call on them whenever I want. Besides, most of them would cause a ruckus and probably destroy something, and I don't really want this cave to fall in on us. Even if I were to call on someone other than the Zodiac I don't think that they would use up enough of my magic to actually make a difference. And I can't call on two at the same time either, so don't go suggesting that." She answered.

"But there has to be a spirit you can call on. Even if it doesn't use up a lot of magic they will be using some of it! That counts for something doesn't it?"

"I mean, I guess it's worth a try. Let me see..." Lucy muttered as she sorted through her keys. "Horologium's busy... Taurus will make a mess... I can't deal with Virgo's antics right now..." She said to herself before yanking a key off of her belt, a determined glint shining in her brown eyes. "Let's hope that you guys are right about this because I don't really want to pass out again. Open! Gate of the Harp Constellation: Lyra!"

* * *

 _-15 Minutes Later-_

Lucy was already regretting summoning Lyra, and she hadn't even been out for that long yet. Thus far she'd whined about how the blond didn't call her out enough, to which Lucy had to remind her that she was the one who stated that she could only be summoned three times a month, called her a meanie, and sang a song that made Gray cry, but somehow managed to make Happy and Natsu feel content at the same time, so at least something good came out of her actions.

"Lyra has an ability to sing songs that relate to what her audience is feeling. She's the master of seeing into the heart." Lucy explained as Happy asked why Gray was so upset after her spirit finished singing.

"I'm also very knowledgeable of magic! Speaking of that, though, what's going on with you Lucy? I noticed a magic fluctuation in your body when you first summoned me. Is there something going on that your other spirits and I should know about?" Lyra questioned.

Sheepishly Lucy rubbed the back of her neck and looked in the other direction. "Ah, there's no need for you to worry about me!" She chuckled. "There's just some small stuff going on. It's nothing that's really important or life threatening." Lucy lied.

"Are you sure-?"

Lyra was cut off when the ground suddenly started shaking, causing Natsu to wake up as small rocks fell from the ceiling. A magic circle formed right over Deliora's frozen figure and began to emit an eerie purple light that seemed to make the ice melt. A wave of heat suddenly shot through Lucy's body and she had trouble keeping herself together. She didn't want anyone worrying about her more than they needed to, so she'd keep her pain to herself until a better time. It seemed that she couldn't hide it from everyone though because her spirit pointedly glanced at her in concern when she bit her tongue to hold back a pained cry.

"We need to find out where that light's coming from. C'mon!" Gray's yelled as he ran by, effectively snapping Lucy and Lyra out of their small staring contest. The blond slowly turned around before running after her team so she could catch up with everybody, and muttered a small apology under her breath as she passed by her spirit. Lucy couldn't tell what hurt worse: the pain her body was experiencing or the guilt she felt when she saw Lyra's hurt expression.

* * *

When they finally got to the top of the temple, Team Natsu was surprised to find a group of people standing in a circle, chanting some sort of incantation. They ducked behind a broken wall and watched as the worshipers carried out the spell in confusion, and whispered about what they thought was going on.

"They're collecting light from the moon and shining it on Deliora... But why?"

Happy almost screamed when Lyra came up behind him and Lucy had to slap her hand over his mouth to muffle the noise. "I can answer that. They're using an ancient spell called Moon Drip, probably to melt the ice surrounding Deliora." She explained.

Gray's head whipped around to look at the spirit in surprise, and he said: "That's impossible! Nothing can melt the Iced Shell!"

"I'm afraid that's not entirely true. If you're careful and perform the spell right concentrated moonlight can reverse any magical seal, even the famous Iced Shell. I'd guess that they're trying to melt the ice around Deliora in order to revive it." In the midst of the serious situation, Lyra grabbed Lucy's hand and pointed at the purple light. "I know that there are bigger problems going on right now, but I think that if you can get under that magic circle while they're still chanting the incantation there's a chance that the runes sealing away your magic could be broken*."

"Eh? That's a really good idea, Lucy! This might be the only time we have such a good opportunity!" Saiya whispered.

"I don't know exactly what's going to happen once you get under there, but you have to understand that if you do go under the Moon Drip you'll be taking a big risk. High levels of concentrated magic can really damage the human body, so there's no guarantee that you'll be safe if you're exposed to it. Calling out a spirit was a good idea to use up some of your magic, and I'm grateful that you decided to summon me for the job, but I think that's only a temporary solution for a big problem." Lyra added.

Lucy frowned at her spirit in uncertainty and said, "I don't know about this Lyra. I can't just leave everyone behind like this! Besides, it's too big of a risk. You said it yourself, there's no guarantee that I won't get hurt if I go under that light-!"

"No, you should go do this Luce. You're the Celestial Dragon Slayer! You eat stuff from the sky all the time, and you've already absorbed a bunch of this crap already! Who's to say that you can't just eat the light when you get under it? You deserve to have your magic back!" Natsu grinned. _"You don't always have to fight by yourself, you know. It's alright to accept our help. We're friends, after all, so go and unseal your magic! We'll cover you!"_ Lucy's eyes widened at how genuine Natsu had sounded before she slowly nodded her head.

"Alright. It's a big risk but I'm willing to take it. You have to promise not to do anything stupid without me, though! God know's that you two love to get into trouble." She said. Saiya activated her Aera Magic and grabbed Lucy by her shoulders, not really giving her any more room to argue or time to change her mind. "I'm really sorry about lying to you Lyra. I just didn't want any of you guys to worry about me, so I didn't tell you the truth about what was going on." The blond explained as she glanced at her spirit. "But I promise that next time I'll let you know if something's going on with me."

Tears of joy swelled up in Lyra's eyes and she playfully cried about how "Lucy-chan is so cute when she apologizes" before giving her a big thumbs up. "Now go get em' kid! Unseal that killer magic of yours!" She cheered as Lucy and Saiya took to the sky. "You deserve to have it back Lucy. You're really too nice for your own good." Lyra giggled. "But I guess that's what makes you, you!"

"They're right, you know," Saiya said as she flew closer to the moon drip seal. "All of us are your friends so you don't always have to shoulder the burden by yourself. True strength is having the courage to accept help when you're down. You're the strongest person I know Lu, but that doesn't always mean you have to stand by yourself. Friends are there to stand with you. That's why I promise that I'll do anything for you! Because you're my best friend!"

* * *

The purple light was all she could see and for a minute, Lucy was consumed with panic. Now something terrible was going to happen to her, something even worse than having her magic sealed away! It was like when she and Saiya finally entered the Moon Drip and landed underneath its spell the world had stopped. Lucy couldn't hear the people underneath her chanting anymore or feel Saiya's small paws against her back. Something had to be wrong, this wasn't normal! Now she was going to turn into a hideous demon just like the islanders!

If she could describe the sensation in words it felt like she was suspended in the ocean. Lucy was aware that there was a world going on around her, she just couldn't experience it from underneath the 'water'. What was even odder though was that the heat Lucy previously felt had completely disappeared, and now she didn't feel any more pain.

When she glanced down at her arms Lucy could see that Freed's runes were shining brightly, the same way they had when she'd try to use her Dragon Slaying Magic, but were also peeling off of her skin like paper, and the panic she previously felt slowly faded away. Each word written onto her skin would shatter into thousands of tiny pieces and disappear into the purple light, never to be seen again. With each rune that disappeared it made her feel lighter than she had the minute before, and it was refreshing. It felt like she was being cleansed. It was as if this giant weight had finally been lifted from her shoulders, and she could actually breathe again. There was no more pain or discomfort, just the familiar warmth of her magic as it flowed through her veins. Lyra's plan had actually worked!

Gradually Lucy regained her bearings until she could see past the purple light and hear the group's chanting. Now it felt like the Moon Drip floated around her body rather than through it, and Lucy realized that it was because she didn't have a seal present on her body anymore. When Freed's runes locked away her magic the concentrated moonlight flowed through her body, from the inside out, to dispell the seal and get rid of it. But now that the runes weren't present anymore there wasn't a reason for the moonlight to enter her body, so it just flowed around her.

"Lucy...?" Saiya murmured as she looked down at the unmoving girl, worried that the Moon Drip hadn't worked and that something bad had happened in return. "Is everything OK?"

Smirking, the blond looked up at her exceed happily. "Guess who's back to being a Dragon Slayer again?"

"That's amazing!" Saiya said in awe before looking past her friend in confusion. "Hey, uh, Lu? That's great and all, but I think we have another problem..." She explained as the girl turned to look at what she was referring to.

 **"Just do what you've been told! Go and destroy the village! I'll handle these nosy wizards myself."**

"Well, that's not good..."

* * *

Gray panted as the Cold Emperors magic clashed with his own. Shards of ice went flying in every direction causing Happy yelp as he was hit with a few. Natsu roared in surprise when a thick layer of ice encased his body, limiting his movements as it froze his arms and legs in place after he attempted to attack the armor wearing mage. "Lyon! What the hell are you doing?! Stop this insanity, right now!" Gray demanded as he stepped in front of his friend's body, acting as a human shield.

"My, my, Gray. It's been a while hasn't it? I haven't seen you since we were-"

 _"Celestial Dragon Iron First!"_

Sherry cried out in horror as Lyon was roughly punched in the face by a golden fist and sent flying backward. His helmet hit the ground, creating an obtrusive voice that would make Natsu cover his ears if he could. Lyon glared at the blond that was tauntingly smirking at him, a cocky glint flashing in her eyes as she noticed the giant welt starting to form on his cheek. "Sorry but that creepy helmet had to go. Didn't anyone ever teach you how to dress? You'd think that girl back there would give you a little fashion advice!" Lucy's smirk grew to the point that you could see the edges of her sharp teeth, the glint in her eyes turning to something far more dangerous. "You know, I don't really understand why you'd think it's a good idea to revive Deliora, but let's get one thing straight!"

Lyon darted to the left to avoid Lucy leg as she attempted to kick him, a deadly snarl falling from her lips as she finished off her statement. _"I won't forgive anyone who tries to hurt my friends! If you try to bring back Gray's darkness I'll make sure that there'll be hell pay!"_ The black haired wizard reached out for Lucy in concern with wide eyes when Lyon extended his hand toward her; a scream of her name falling from his lips.

 _"Ice-Make: Arrows!"_

 _"Celestial Dragon Wing Attack!"_

When the two spells clashed they canceled each other out, and Lyon cursed when he was sent sliding back several feet. In the background, Yuka and Toby were holding back a livid Sherry, who was furiously glaring daggers at the blond wizard as she faced off with her leader. "You seem to have acquired quite the interesting magic. I can sense traces of the Moon Drip in your attacks, you must be quite the wizard to have absorbed the moon's light without having any terrifying side effects." The white haired boy exclaimed as he surveyed Lucy's figure with sharp eyes. "However, no matter how strong the wizard may be, no one stands a chance against any of my ice attacks. It even seems that someone as skilled as you can't escape unscathed."

Lucy clenched her teeth and growled as she used her hand to cover the deep cut on her arm made by one of his arrows, glaring as he smirked down at her. She gasped as she was roughly pulled back by the collar of her shirt, barely avoiding another one of Lyon's attacks in a moment of weakness, as Gray yanked her backward. "Saiya, Happy, grab Lucy and get her out of here!" He demanded as he used his Molder Magic to make a shield, protecting both of them from any possible oncoming attacks.

"Aye, Sir!"

As the three Fairy Tail wizards flew away, Lucy flailing her arms around in retaliation, Lyon smirked and glanced at Gray. "You seem to have acquired quite the group of friends Gray. Tell me, what was that girl's name again? I'd love to fight with her some more! It would be the perfect way to prove my newfound strength if I killed a such a strong wizard as herself. Perhaps I'll pay her a visit when I'm done with you!"

"I won't let you lay a hand on Lucy. She's a member of the guild and I'll protect her with my life!"

 **"Is that so? I guess I'll just have to take you up on your word, then."**

* * *

 **A/N: THERE WILL BE NO GRAYLU. No one has asked me to do it, or mentioned it ever happening, but I just wanted to say that it wasn't going to happen. I don't want anyone getting confused with the beginning of this chapter, it wasn't meant to spark up some type of romance between Lucy and Gray, but a mutual understanding between the two. They're going to have more of a sibling relationship, like the one that I've already set up between Lucy and Erza.**

 **OK so I know that there was a little more to this episode that I didn't put in, but there wasn't really any point for me to explain what was going on with Erza as she headed toward the island, or go over the rest of the fight between Lyon and Gray. I was going to make Lucy fight with him at first, but then I remembered that someone had to protect the village so that's why I didn't make that happen.**

 **Did the explanation about why Lucy passed out make sense?**

 **-There was a mixed response of reviews from the last chapter, which is fine because I'm not always going to be able to please everybody (it's a given, and not really possible), but I will do my best to fix everything that I can. So I know that the flashback was kinda long but I felt like it just needed to happen, and if I ever decide to do one again in the future I'll put it in a different font (bold or italicized) because there was a little confusion about that.**

 ***I would like to thank** _Shunako025_ **for suggesting the idea of using the Moon Drip to unseal Lucy's magic, it was really helpful when writing this chapter.**

 **I hope that you guys enjoyed this update! Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far!**

 **I don't know if I'm going to have time to update Tuesday or Wednesday because I have stuff going on later in the day, but if I have time I definitely will!**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**

 _So I know that this doesn't really have to do with anything, but I really just want to thank you all for your continuous support. When we reached 100 followers I was amazed because I never thought that my stories would get that much, and now we've gotten 201. I literally cried when I saw that so many of you were reading this, and I really have to thank each and every one of you for helping my dreams come true. I truly enjoy writing for you guys and nothing brings me more joy than reading your reviews. THANK YOU SO MUCH!_


	13. Chapter 13

_**IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!**_

 _I really just wanted to say beforehand how much I appreciate you guys. I know that I talk about it all the time but I really never honestly thought that anyone would read my stories. The fact that you guys take time out of your day to read what I publish means a lot to me, and it's just honestly crazy to believe how many of you there are when there are only 13 Chapters (so far). I really appreciate the feedback all of you give me and I don't think I can ever fully express my gratitude for you all._

 _Thank you!_

 _*A Guest pointed out that the story can be confusing when I don't include everything that happens in an episode, so from now on I'm going to do my best to include everything._

 _ **Because of my recent absence, I have made this update longer than I normally do.** **There** **are 8,712 words in this chapter total and because of this, I only covered a little bit more than half of Episode 13. I felt like I would be dragging it on if I finished this episode off, and that I wouldn't even have enough time to even finish it tonight. This also took a lot to edit, so I apologize if some portions of this update didn't flow well/had a few mistakes or if things were all over the place.**_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **-Galuna Island : Above the Temple of Moon-**_

* * *

 _"It would be the perfect way to prove my newfound strength if I killed such a strong wizard as herself. Perhaps I'll pay her a visit when I'm done here with you!"_

 **He lost.** Despite fighting so hard to defend Lucy's life, and doing everything to the best of his ability to make Lyon see the error in his ways, he lost. Despite using the full extent of his magic, forcing out the most powerful spells he knew and casting them in the most effective way he could, he lost. And despite doing every single thing within his power to prevent his 'brother' from falling into the darkness, Gray _still_ lost. Nothing he did was good enough to protect the people he cared about the most, and now he wondered if they would suffer because of it.

Since Natsu was encased in a thick layer of ice would he be rendered incapable to properly defend himself against any enemies he came to encounter? Was Lucy going to have to suffer from a blindsided attack and fight on her own, without any help from anyone else? Was she going to have to defend the village on her own against Lyon and his lackeys without guidance from any of her friends? Would Lyon actually go as far as to revive Deliora just to prove his strength over their dead mentor? And if he did, what were the chances that he too would die in the process? Was Deliora really going to be set free and allowed to wreak havoc on the world again?

Thousands of unanswered questions bounced around his head, and even though Gray desperately wanted to go and protect his friends, to find the answers to everything, all he could do was sit and wallow in self-pity as everyone he knew slowly succumbed to the dangers around them.

After being thoroughly defeated by Lyon's Active Ice-Make Magic, which proved to be far more superior over Gray's Static Ice-Make Magic, the raven-haired wizard ended up lying face first on the ground in defeat as memories of his childhood played behind his sound of Ur's voice thundering in his head alongside a haunting flashback of Lyon looking at him in surprise absorbed the majority of Gray's attention, causing him to not hear the approaching footsteps to his left, while leaving him to wonder what was going to happen next.

Was Lyon out searching for Lucy at the very moment, or was he just trying to get to Gray by saying he was going to seek her out? Had he already found her within the vast forests of Galuna Island, or even possibly back at the village, or was he in some mysterious place instead? Was his blond friend fighting for her life as he lay, motionless on the ground? And where was Natsu? _Just what exactly was going on in his absence?_

Gray was so invested in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone come up behind him, nor their incessant cries of his name and he was lucky that it ended up being one of his friends or else he could have gotten even more injured than he already was.

"Oi Gray! Hurry and wake up already! We gotta get back to the village!" Natsu groaned as he hovered over his unmoving rival. When he didn't respond a flash of annoyance crossed his face and he had trouble holding himself back. "Hey! Are you ignoring me?!" He questioned in a louder tone.

When the Ice-Make wizard continued to remain silent Natsu felt his irritation skyrocket to new heights. He was _this_ close to kicking the boy awake or even burning him with the fire he knew that Gray didn't like just so he would finally wake up. But he didn't want to act on a whim and decided to give his rival one last chance. Natsu repeated his name for what felt like the hundredth time, and if he didn't already look so beat up, then he really _would_ have done something to force him awake. A _'Fire Dragon Iron Fist'_ or even a _'Fire Dragon Claw'_ would suffice, but at exactly that moment, Gray decided to murmur Natsu's name and look in his direction. _Finally, he decided to wake up._

"Oh well," The Fire Dragon Slayer thought to himself, "it's not like I really could've done anything with this ice covering my body. I'll just punch him a different time."

* * *

Gray shakily pushed himself upright before glancing at the pink haired boy with wide eyes. When had he gotten there? Didn't he push him off the temple after Lyon encased his body with ice? Shouldn't he have been back at the village?

"... Natsu? What are you doing here?"

He bent down with a slight groan, blatantly ignoring the question, and grabbed Gray by his shoulders with a small frown playing on his face. "Well," He began, "after you _rudely_ kicked me off the temple I fell into the forest and couldn't find my way back to the village. I climbed back up here in hopes that I could see what direction it was in, and it looks like it was a good thing that I did. That guy really roughed you up." Natsu explained as he slung the boy over, what would have been if the ice wasn't there, his shoulders.

"W-wait. Leave me behind... You need to go and find Lucy. I think that she's in trouble." Gray said with a sense of urgency in his tone. "I think Lyon is looking for a fight with her. She could end up getting really hurt if you don't get to her before he does!"

"Nah," Natsu surprisingly shook his head, "There's no way I would ever leave a friend behind, and I think that the guild would be pretty boring without having an Ice Princess around, so I guess I'll take you with me too." He joked. "Besides, Lucy's a Dragon Slayer and she has those Spirit Keys of hers! I'm sure that she can hold her own against that guy. You need to have faith in your guild mates; Luce won't let us down. I know that she'll protect the village with all she's got and take anyone down who stands in her way. She's scary like that, you know? Kinda acts like Erza sometimes."

Gray's eyes widened at the sincerity in Natsu's tone, and he was genuinely surprised at the faith he had in their blond friend. How did he always manage to do that? How did he always manage to find hope in the darkest of situations? Wasn't he worried about what _could_ happen if things went wrong?

"Now stop feeling sorry for yourself because you lost one little fight! Have confidence in Lucy's ability as a wizard and trust that she can do her job right! That way when we get back, if that Cold Emperor guy really is there, we can help you take your revenge for getting such a beating! Now hold on tight cause' we have to book it back to the village. We can't let Lucy have _all_ of the fun!"

* * *

 ** _-Meanwhile-_**

* * *

Saiya giggled as she watched her blond friend interact with the villagers. Lucy had claimed countless times that she was _not_ a people person and that she didn't get along well with others, yet there she was, soothing the bustling crowd of concerned villagers with ease. Within a matter of seconds, she had everyone calmed down and easily obtained their undivided attention by just saying a few simple words. It was amusing to think that she considered herself to be a difficult person to get along with or someone who could not be easily understood when she had managed to dispell a tense atmosphere and bring all the villagers into a state of tranquility all on her own. She was easier to get along with than she ever intended to be.

"I need all of you to remain calm and listen closely to what I'm about to say. Right now I'm the only one that's able to help you guys, so I need your full cooperation so that I can ensure that you guys stay safe throughout this whole ordeal." Lucy revealed with a calm tone. "A group of wizards has been living on this island for some time now, and my guildmates and I have reason to believe that they are the cause of your demonized forms. Three wizards are headed this way, as we speak, with the intentions to destroy this village and everything in it."

 _"So you mean we're gonna die?"_

This one comment seemed to set things in motion and left Lucy with a brewing problem. The realization that their lives were in danger quickly set in and the villagers were quick to murmur and yell at her in confusion. They nervously glanced at one another and some people even resorted to sobbing loudly as they held their family close, causing the blonde to rub her head in frustration. This was not how things were supposed to be going, and she was quickly growing annoyed with the panicked response of all the villagers. Things would easily go sour if she didn't fix this soon.

 _"That's it? You're not going to protect us anymore?"_

 _"But I have a whole life to live!"_

 _"Why are you giving up on us?"_

 _"Is this all Fairy Tail has to offer?!"_

Happy and Saiya were quick to hide behind Lucy's body as the crowd grew angry; their fears easily overpowering their better judgment causing them to react this way. The villagers spit out accusations about the guild, claiming that they were trying to conn them out of their money and playing them for fools, alongside several other nasty statements. They even went as far as to grab their weapons and point them at the blonde, saying that she must have been working with these other wizards as well, which is why she wouldn't help them.

"This is bad!" Happy cried as he latched onto Lucy's leg.

The villagers only got more angry by the second and if the girl didn't fix things soon an accident may happen and somebody could end up getting hurt. In addition, time was running out and Lucy doubted it would take Lyon's lackeys much longer to reach the village. She had to get things under control and finish the job she was originally intending to do.

"Yeah! If we don't calm them down soon I'm worried that we're gonna be in big trouble here!"

Lucy groaned loudly as she finally let her hands fall from her face, and she had trouble not snapping at all everyone for a raging migraine they caused her head with their loud voices and constant yelling. Nevertheless, she calmly raised her hands prompting everyone to be quiet.

"Listen, you all cut me off before I could even finish what I was going to say, so it's understandable that you all got upset. But you have to realize that my guild and I have full intentions to carry out this mission, and I swear to you all that I will protect your village with my life if that's what it takes." She explained with a soft smile to further quell their fears. "As I was saying, I have a plan. I'm going to set a trap at the entrance of the village and after I capture these wizards I'm going to 'interrogate' them until they tell me how to return you back to normal."

Upon seeing that the villagers were no longer in such a state of hysteria, Lucy let out a small breath of relief and wiped some sweat off of her face. It seemed that her finished explanation managed to ease their worries and even provide them with a sense of comfort which would make things much easier from there on out. Now that everyone was on the same page, Lucy could finally start building her trap and figure out a real plan on how to protect the villagers.

Her comfort was short-lived, however, because the Village Cheif decided to reveal himself and cause even more chaos.

 _ **"Why haven't you destroyed the moon?!"**_ Moka demanded with an incredulous expression. He looked extremely livid that Lucy and her friends hadn't done their task yet and the blonde was worried that if he didn't calm down he was going to blow.

Lucy exhaled out of her nose in frustration, internally hardening her nerves so she didn't loose her mind, before turning to face Moka; faking a happy expression in order to mask her ever growing annoyance. "Listen, I just explained to your people that the moon isn't the cause of your curse. If it was I would've already taken on a demonized form because my magic depends solely on taking in things from the sky and moon, but I haven't which means that it's not the problem here. Like I said there are these wizards on the island that have been doing a ritual in an old temple, which is causing you to-"

 _"You don't know what you're talking about you stupid little girl! Hurry up and do what I've asked of you. Destroy the moon!"_ Moka demanded in a brash voice. _"My people, don't let this imbecile trick you! She's lying, trying to deceive us into thinking that the moon isn't the problem! It's not true! It must be destroyed at all costs!"_

Noticing that the girl was at a complete loss of words, two of the villagers nodded at one another before dragging Moka off, while everyone else apologized to Lucy for his outburst. They confessed that he hadn't been the same since the death of his son, Bobo and that by obsessing over the destruction of the moon it may have helped him cope with the pain. For a long time he was in a state of depression with nothing to do, but after convincing himself that the moon was the root of all of his problems it became all that he could think about.

"It's fine," Lucy waved them off; a distant glint to her golden-brown eyes. "I know what its like to lose a close family member too, so I can understand how he feels. I don't blame him for feeling this way. It's an expected response if I'm being completely honest. I was the same way after my dragon disappeared."

* * *

Finally, the villagers back off and gave the blonde space to do her work in peace. She was relieved to have found that everyone was ultimately leaving her alone and that she didn't have to give anyone anymore answers to their constant questions. But the again, there was always one particular being that took great pride in raining on her parade, and even more in causing her the most discomfort possible; Natsu Dragneel's personal partner, the tiny blue exceed, Happy.

He tugged at her leg, signaling that he had something to say, and despite her better judgment the girl hesitantly glanced in his direction. She honestly had better things to do than listen to some stupid question he was bound to ask, but being the 'nice' person she was she let him do it anyways. (And it wasn't because she was secretly afraid that he would burst out crying if she ignored him, which would result in him telling his partner that she was being mean at a later time, because that would just be ridiculous. She wasn't afraid of some _cat_ telling on her! Especially to someone as obnoxious as Natsu! No, that would be absolutely absurd.)

"Lushie how are you going to trap them? Knowing you, you're probably going to do something stupid and it won't actually work. Hopefully, you have an actual plan so that the village doesn't end up getting destroyed. Otherwise, the blame's gonna be all on you." Happy murmured as he used his paws to cover his mouth. He really didn't want the blonde to see his mischievous grin or hear his muffled laughter because she could be scary when she was upset, but his attempts were in vain because Lucy noticed each of these things anyways.

With a giant tick mark on her forehead, she yelled: "Shut up you damn cat! My plan is full proof I'll have you know! Only a stupid cat like _you_ would have doubt in a wizard like me. Just you watch! I didn't study under a dragon for my whole life for nothing!"

Huffing, Lucy flipped her hair over her shoulder before violently yanking one of her gold keys off of her belt. Glaring at Happy from the corner of her eyes as she muttered something unintelligible under her breath, she swiped the key through the air and summoned her desired spirit. Lucy was going to show Happy just how smart she could be. She was no idiot and definitely wasn't going to act without thinking beforehand. He was going to make sure he regretted doubting her in the first place, that much was certain.

 _"Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"_

Cockily, the blond placed one of her hands on her hip and used the other to point at the open space in front of the village gate. With a proud smirk, she said, "Alright Virgo here's what I need you to do..."

* * *

Lucy smiled in excitement as the finishing touches were placed on top of her 'masterpiece' and she had trouble not laughing in glee. The blonde's so called 'genius plan', the one that she claimed would, without a doubt, be a complete success, consisted of Virgo digging a deep _hole_. It was big enough for at least three people to fit in, if not more, and was covered with straw, some spare wood and sticks, and a thin layer of dirt that would help it blend in with the ground. In other words, the very thing that the whole villages survival depended on, was a randomly placed _**pitfall**_. _Yeah, genius, right?_

While Lucy continued to shower herself in self-praise, everyone glanced at her creation in uncertainty. They all had the same dumbfounded expression written on their faces as they wracked their brains for the right words to say, and the blonde mistakingly took their renowned silence as a compliment. They must have been in complete awe upon recognizing her intelligence, and were far too amazed to utter a single word, which is why they had resorted to standing in complete silence. _Because there was absolutely no way that they weren't impressed by her idea; that just wasn't possible._

"I know, I know," The blond chuckled as she leisurely placed her hand on Virgo's shoulder, "this is by far the best thing any of you have ever seen. It's alright, you don't have to tell me because I already know: the level of my intelligence is immeasurable."

Virgo spun around with such a ferocity that it caused Lucy to stumble backward in surprise, a loud "Princess!" falling from her lips as she completed the action. The girl was quick to place her hand over her pounding heart but the pink haired spirit didn't even give her a chance to gather herself because she suddenly grabbed onto both of her shoulders in a vice-grip, forcing the blonde to hold her overly-serious gaze. _"There is absolutely no way that this is ever going to work."_

As this was going on, Happy stumbled forward with a dark shadow cast across the majority of his face. Lucy glanced down at the blue cat in shock when he suddenly grabbed onto her leg with a quivering lip, and she inwardly wondered what had caused him to have such a reaction before his head shot up to look at her with blank, pupilless eyes.

"You know, I was just joking earlier when I said that you were going to do something stupid," He explained causing a burst of hope to bloom in her chest.

Yes! At least someone appreciated her efforts! At least someone could see the effectiveness of her plan! Lucy clasped her hands in front of her chest as she looked at the exceed with sparkling eyes, and the villagers could have sworn that a flowery aura surrounded her body as the cat opened his mouth to finish off his statement.

"But I'm sorry to inform you that you might actually be stupid. There's no way **_anyone_** would be stupid enough to fall for that trick! It's the oldest one in the book, and it's right out in the open! What were you thinking?! Now the village really is doomed!" He cried causing Lucy to fall over.

The villagers tentatively turned to look at one other before nodding their heads in agreement. Apologetically they said:

 _"I'm sorry Lucy-san but I have to agree. I don't think your plan is going to work."_

 _"We're doomed now, aren't we?"_

 _"Who would ever fall for something like that?_

 _"What should we do now?"_

 _"Do we even have time to do anything else?"_

 _"We should've never trusted her with the job."_

 _"This was a waste of time."_

Lucy slapped her face in defeat before waving her arms around wildly. This was not what was supposed to be happening; she wasn't supposed to be getting a verbal beating over how bad her plan was, she was supposed to be getting praised for it!

"Would all of you just be quiet for one minute? Look all around you. The village is completely surrounded by a giant wall, which means that there are only one entrance and one exit out of this place; through the gate. It doesn't matter how visible the pitfall is, or how much any of you think it'll fail because if those wizards want to get in they'll be forced to walk over it. I made sure Virgo dug it wide enough so that they couldn't walk around it, or jump across it. I've got them boxed in so doesn't matter what move they decide to make! The end result will always be the same!"

Happy placed his paw on his chin and continued to shake his head in disagreement, much to the blond's annoyance and displeasure. For some odd reason, he refused to believe or have any faith that Lucy's plan would ever work.

"No. There's absolutely no way this is going to work. Hurry up and think of another plan before they get here."

"What would an ignorant little cat like you know anyways?! I'm telling you it _will_ work!"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh!"

The two Faries were so invested in arguing with one another that neither party heard one of the guards say that someone was approaching, or that they were opening the gates. Not even Saiya could get their attention, and it was only until they heard the familiar yelp of two male voices that they snapped out of their petty fight. Sheepishly, Happy and Lucy glanced into the pitfall and found Natsu and Gray sitting at the bottom with small shards of ice surrounding them. They faintly heard someone ask, "what the hell happened", but the blue exceed was too stunned to say anything. Lucy, on the other hand, couldn't stop a triumphant smirk from forming on her face.

 **"Told you it would work..."**

* * *

Saiya, Happy, and Lucy watched with grim expressions as Gray's injured body was gently laid out on the ground. His skin was marred with a mixture of dirt and dried blood while the rest of his figure was covered with several nasty, dark blue bruises and deep cuts. It was painfully obvious that he had just barely managed to return from a one-sided battle, and Lucy couldn't help but feel a strong wave of guilt tug at her gut. _Would things have been different if she hadn't allowed Gray to make her leave?_

"That Cold Emperor guy really gave him a run for his money, huh?" She murmured as she glanced over the boy's injured face.

Natsu nodded his head. "Yeah. Apparently, he was fighting to protect you. Said that guy was looking for a fight, or something like that. Gray insisted that I left him behind and got here to make sure you were alright; he was worried that he would be here trying to kill you."

Lucy's face scrunched up in confusion and she took a moment to glance his way. "What are you talking about? No one's been in the village except for us. Not even his lackeys have shown up yet."

"I don't really know. I just figured he was talking a bunch of mumbo-jumbo as a result of being beaten so badly." Natsu said with a slight shrug. "I told him not to worry, though. I knew that you'd be able to handle that guy's lackeys with no problem."

"Speaking of them, something isn't making any sense here," Saiya chimed in causing everyone to glance in her direction. "Since Lu, Happy and I have gotten here, none of us have seen any signs of the enemy. They left way before we did, and even later than you two, yet you still managed to get here before any of those wizards have. Something just isn't right about all of this. It shouldn't be possible that Natsu and Gray managed to get here before those wizards!"

One of the villagers hesitantly stepped forward after the silver exceed was done speaking, and gingerly raised their hand to point at the sky. "I think the answer to your confusion is right up there... Look: it's a giant flying rat carrying some sort of bucket. Do you think that could be them?"

Lucy tilted her head to look up at the sky, and her eyes narrowed as she spotted the familiar looking rat. She quickly realized that it was the same creature that had attacked her and her friends in the forest only several hours prior, and because such an aggressive animal was flying over the village it managed to cause her quite a lot of concern. Lucy knew nothing good would be coming out of its sudden appearance, even more so when she had a nagging suspicion that it might have belonged to one of Lyon's allies.

She quickly let her eyes fall closed as she strained her ears in order to listen in on all of her surroundings.

* * *

 _"I would never have thought that the Double-Poison Jelly would take so long to prepare."_

 _"Yeah, but it's not like it's necessarily such a bad thing that it took up so much time. Look, those wizards are down there."_

 _"I suppose you're right. We cannot stop until the demon, Deliora is revived for the Cold Emperor. He must get his revenge. Anyone who stands in the Cold Emperor's way deserves the punishment of death."_

 _"Yes. We must do everything possible to make sure the Cold Emperors plan is a success."_

* * *

In her extreme haste to try and figure out what was going on around her, Lucy failed to see the small droplet of green jelly falling from the sky that escaped the bucket that the large rat was holding. It was positioned right above her head, and with her eyes closed there was absolutely no way that she would have seen it coming. Her nose scrunched up as she smelt something bitter, the droplet getting closer and closer with every passing second, and just as she finally went to open her eyes Natsu swiftly shot forward and tackled her to the ground.

 _ **"Watch out!"**_

When the tiny droplet of green jelly hit the earth it easily ate through the ground; creating a giant hole as a direct result of its acid-like capabilities. A thick string of hot steam floated up from the ground, damaging the earth further, and Lucy couldn't help but shiver as she considered what could have happened to her had her friend not intervened when he did. Would she even be alive had Natsu not moved forward when he did?

The villagers promptly succumbed to a state of panic as they discerned that their lives were, yet again, in danger while Lucy attempted to gather her bearings after narrowly escaping the dangerous situation. Everyone had already seen what a minuscule amount of the jelly could do when coming in contact with something, and they could only imagine what the whole bucket amount was capable of; which was about to be dumped over the entire village. The demonized villagers couldn't help but consider if this time it really _was_ the end.

Meanwhile, Happy and Saiya tensed as Angelica, the giant flying rat, reeled its arms backward before launching the entire bucket of jelly over the village. Panicked screams echoed throughout the community as the green substance descended on them, and it wasn't until Natsu ordered everyone to get into the center of the village that Lucy snapped out of her surprised daze. The pink haired boy jumped into the air, while his corresponding blue haired exceed grabbed onto his shoulders, as all the villagers simultaneously reacted to his orders.

Off in the distance, the Village Cheif clung onto his son's grave. Rapidly shaking his head, he exclaimed: "No! I refuse to leave Bobo's side; I won't leave my son alone! If I'm going to die, I'll do it next to him!"

His protests caused the blonde to frown, and almost instantly her body acted on her own. Lucy couldn't stop herself as she jumped to her feet, rushing to Moka's side in the blink of an eye, before using her body to shield him from the green jelly above. Saiya cried out for her owner in distress as she watched her run off, and if one of the villagers hadn't yanked her up when they did, she easily would have chased after her without a second thought.

Up in the sky, Natsu activated his magic in both of his hands causing them to be encased in red hot flames. Throwing his arms above his head he conjured a giant ball of fire, somehow managing to completely avoid burning Happy in the process, before chucking it at the middle of the green jelly.

 _"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"_

In a dazzling spark of light, Natsu's flames collided with the acid-like matter causing the center of it to disperse and create a giant hole. The people that followed his orders, who were all standing directly beneath the opening in the jelly, were completely protected from the substance and managed to survive the attack; completely unscathed. Lucy and Moka, on the other hand, were not in such good of a position as everyone else.

As a steady stream of the jelly descended on their position, Saiya cried out in distress and watched with tears in her eyes as everything was destroyed. Her friend was nowhere to be seen and the worst-case-scenario quickly invaded the exceed's head. Thousands of "What If's" plagued her thoughts until it was the only thing she could think about. What if Lucy was injured? What if Lucy was dead? What if there was no trace of her body left? What if-?

"Oi Saiya! Stop crying already! You're the partner of the Celestial Dragon Slayer, right? Stand tall and hold up your head!" The blonde smirked as her friend's figure became clearer from behind the mist, and she sent her a flashy grin as Virgo appeared by her side, holding the Village Cheif in her grip. "Besides, there's absolutely no way I'm going down by some _jelly_. Not until I find Draco, anyway."

* * *

When the smoke died down enough for things to almost be completely visible, it was revealed that the entire village had been destroyed without so much as a trace of it ever being there in the first place. Except for the center of the land, which was only there because of Natsu's daunting actions, nothing was around except for a giant crater. Moka trembled under Virgo's grip and frantically searched for his son's grave, inwardly praying that nothing bad had come to it, and breathed a giant sigh of relief when he saw that it was still standing tall.

Well, that was until someone suddenly kicked it over.

Natsu and Lucy simultaneously stepped forward to shield everyone from any oncoming attacks as their eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Though no one had opened their mouth to say anything, they had a mutual understanding with each other; both wizards were extremely familiar with the pain of losing someone they loved, which explained their silent anger, while also agreeing that they would do everything in their power to keep the villagers from being hurt any further. They didn't deserve any of the things that had happened to them thus far, and the two Faries would be damned if they let anything else happen to them again.

Sherry sighed as she moved forward, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a mock-pity expression written across her face. "The Cold Emperor ordered us to annihilate everything within this village, which is why it's such a pity that you just didn't allow the Double-Poison jelly to kill you off. We were trying to give you a painless death, you know, but now you've gone and done it. You've forced us into a corner and now we have no choice but to resort to bloodshed."

"Don't be such a drama queen. There are roughly fifty villagers, and only two working wizards, not counting the one the Cold Emperor already defeated. This'll be the easiest job we've had yet. I doubt that this will even take more than ten minutes to finish." Yuka scoffed arrogantly.

"What are you, mindless robots who don't have a mind of their own?" Lucy snarled as her eyes narrowed into a nasty glare. "These are innocent people you're talking about! You destroyed their village for no reason, and for what? For some guy who's taking actions that only benefit himself? Have you even stopped to consider what might happen if he doesn't defeat Deliora? Just what the hell do you think you'll be getting out of all of this?!" She demanded in a sharp tone.

Behind her, Natsu knocked Gray out with a punch to the gut before laying him back down on the ground. "Luce is right. You three are acting on someone else's actions that aren't your own. You destroyed this village, hurt my friend, and threatened the life of someone close to me. Yet, somehow, none of it was because of your own personal opinion or choices."

Sherry's expression abruptly morphed into something far more dangerous, and nothing could take back the Faries surprised reactions as she barked: "It's my love for the Cold Emperor that fuels me on! His wish is our command just as his desires are our own. How dare you try and stand there and act like you know anything about us; about my beloved! You cannot be forgiven!" Her arm darted out to the left to gesture to her pet rat and her eyes darkened even more. "Now Angelica! Show them our wrath!"

The creature jumped into the air before shooting forward with her owner on her back. Lucy braced herself and latched onto Angelica's foot as if by using pure strength she could hold the rat down, only to get lifted off of the ground at record speed; her furious cries growing far more distant with each passing second. She violently punched at the animals feet, getting nowhere quickly, before suddenly resorting to tickling it. Both Sherry and the blonde had not expected that her actions would have worked, and their screams echoed throughout Galuna Island as they crashed into the ground somewhere far away from the village.

"She really is weird, isn't she?" Natsu chuckled as he watched the scene from the corner of his eyes.

Happy immediately tugged at his pants with giant crocodile tears in his eyes as he whined : _"No. Lushie's a big fat meanie Natsu! She called me stupid when you weren't around!"_

* * *

 ** _Battle:_**

 ** _-Natsu v.s. Yuka & Toby-_**

 ** _(1)_**

* * *

As Saiya and Happy flew off to check on Lucy to make sure that she hadn't been seriously injured in the crash, Natsu turned around to face the remainder of Lyon's lackeys. He couldn't fully express how disgusted he was at their actions, and he had trouble not bashing all of their faces in right away. They attacked, and destroyed, a village full of innocent people, terrorized countless families, hurt two of his close friends, and completely destroyed a grave; _all for no reason at all_. And nothing could possibly make him feel more outraged than that.

Toby and Yuka were looking off in the direction that their comrades, Sherry, and Angelica crashed in and watched with, what looked like, slightly peeved expressions as the two different colored exceeds flew off to the same place.

Natsu could only hope that Lucy had survived the dangerous crash unscathed and that she was in a good-enough condition to fight Sherry because, from what he could tell, these wizards were out for blood and were fully prepared to fight to the best of their ability. Though, he supposed, anyone who was close friends with Erza had to be strong enough to handle a small beating, so he wasn't going to worry about her much. He had his own concerns to be focused on, after all.

Yuka sighed as if he were annoyed and rubbed small circles into the skin on his forehead. "Well, there's three things the Cold Emperor is sure to be upset about: The villagers escaped before we had the chance to finally finish our orders, Sherry and Angelica got taken down, and that girl he so desperately wanted to fight is probably dead now. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets furious when we tell him that she got killed before he had the job to do it himself."

Toby glanced at the blue-haired wizard before scrunching up his nose. "It's not like that's such a bad thing, though. Obviously, she wasn't much to begin with so I don't think she would've really been worth his time. The Cold Emperor doesn't need to busy himself with these pathetic wizards; he should be focusing on accomplishing his goal. Maybe we should-"

 _"I don't know who gave you the right to talk about Luce like you know anything about her, but let's get one thing straight,"_ Natsu snarled as he shot forward, _"anyone who tries to land a hand on my friends has to deal with me! I already told you, right? Lucy is precious to me, and I'll be damned if I let someone like you guys lay their hands on her! Never in a million years would I let that happen!"_

His body acted on its own and before he could realize what he was doing, Natsu had already headbutted the dog-looking wizard back several feet. He didn't really know where the source of his anger had come from, but hearing them talk bad about Lucy made his blood boil for some reason, and before he could stop himself his mouth had started moving on its own. If someone asked why he called the blonde "precious" he wouldn't be able to give them a legitimate answer except that she was just special to him. And while Natsu would have reacted the same way had the two wizards been talking about anyone else from the guild, the reaction was stronger for some unexplainable reason.

Somehow, somewhere deep inside his gut, Natsu could tell that his blonde friend was extremely lonely. Whether it was in her distant gaze that he sometimes found her sporting, or her forced smiles when he would be looking at her for too long, he could tell that she was hiding something. Since he was so familiar with the feeling, Natsu felt a distinct need to protect Lucy, which may have been the exact reason for his odd response to Lyon's lackeys trash-talking.

Yuka's eyes widened in surprise as the pink-haired wizard suddenly spit out a mouthful of flames at his figure, body still suspended in the air from attacking his friend, and had it not been for his unique magic capabilities he certainly would have been hit by the unexpected attack.

"I see. Things are starting to get pieced together now." Yuka chuckled as Natsu's flames finally started to die down. It was revealed that he

It was revealed that he was standing behind a semi-transparent, blue wall which had protected him from the Slayers flames in the first place. Then, after a moment of peace, he allowed his hand to fall back to his side causing the barrier to disappear.

"The reason why you were able to protect yourself against the Double-Poison Jelly so easily, and why you seem so familiar to me, is because you're that famous Fire Wizard aren't you? The one that is not only able to wield Fire Magic that you can't buy in stores but is also able to use it freely throughout it body; the Salamander of Fairy Tail, Natsu Dragneel." Almost cockily, Yuka placed his hand on his chest and smirked. "Famous wizard or not, it would be unwise for you to underestimate us. We were apart of a well-known guild once too, in fact, _the_ Iron Rock Jura was one of our members."

Natsu squinted at the blue-haired wizard in disinterest. "And? Am I supposed to know who that is, or even care about what guild you're talking about?" Lighting up his hands in reddish-orange flames, he slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. "All I know is, anyone who stands in Fairy Tail's way gets taken out, and you've given me more than enough reason to do exactly that. Now, how about I show you the reason behind why I'm so well known?"

Yuka scoffed at the boys ignorance before rolling his eyes. "Fine, don't take heed to my warning. I must say, though, that Lamia Scale is far better than your pathetic joke of a guild. I must admit that it truly is a shame that you were the one unlucky enough to have to face me. Your defeat will really dampen Fairy Tail's reputation once we're done with you. I can only imagine how bad their name will become when word gets out that one of their strongest wizards was defeated so easily."

Natsu clenched his fists even tighter as the urge to just destroy everything and fight returned, just as it had when they were talking bad about his friend, and he had trouble holding himself back. He was growing extremely angry with how dismissive the blue-haired wizard was being toward Fairy Tail.

"Like I said, I couldn't care less what guild you're from or who was in it. We were hired to protect the villagers and to solve the problem that _you guys_ caused! That makes you guys Fairy Tails enemy, which means that _you're_ the unlucky one. You messed with the wrong guild, and now you'll have to answer to me!"

Toby yelped as he activated the flames in both of his hands causing a giant wave of fire to form on both sides of his body. Aiming to attack both of the wizards at once, Natsu managed to burn the top of Toby's head and send him rolling to the ground in a panic. Yuka, on the other hand, simply activated his own magic and protected himself against the Slayers attacks the same way he had just moments before.

 _"Wave!"_

Natsu reeled his flame-covered hand backward as the burst of blue magic was sent his way, before throwing it forward with all of his strength. Unfortunately for him, the attack seemed to do nothing and was useless against his opponents magic.

Unknown to the Salamander at the time, Yuka was a specialist in Anti-Wizard Magic known as 'Wave' which gave him the ability to nullify the effects of any and all spells directed his way. During his time as a member of Lamia Scale, he perfected these abilities to a 'T' which meant that any attacks the Fire Dragon Slayer sent his way could easily be deflected by his magic. In truth, it didn't matter how well-known or how strong a wizard was when facing him because the result would always be the same; his magic would always prove to be superior over the other wizards, which meant that we would _always_ win.

So, when Natsu's flame covered fist collided with the blue wall of magic, it was like someone dumped water over his hand, and his flames were doused out. His attack was proved to be useless within a split second, and the same result happened when he tried to use his _"Fire Dragon Roar"_. None of his magic was working.

And since his magic-fueled attacks didn't seem to be functionally properly, he decided to use pure physical strength to defeat Yuka instead. With this idea in mind, when he came face-to-face with another one of the wizards 'waves' he threw his bare fist forward. It broke through the magic barrier with ease, and just as he went to cheer in success it was replaced with a yell of pain as a spark of electricity shot up his arm.

The blue-haired wizard sighed as if he was bored. "You didn't honestly think that would work, did you? You just placed your entire arm into a vortex of pure magic energy, which is something the human body isn't accustomed to feeling. The only thing you've succeeded at doing is realizing that there's nothing you could possibly do to win this battle."

Not one to give up so easily, Natsu threw his face against the blue wall and pushed his entire body forward. Despite the extreme pain that flared up in his body at the action, he continued pushing his head forward until it fully cleared Yuka's 'wave'. Natsu couldn't exactly hear what Yuka said over the sound of the ringing in his ears, but after reading his lips he assumed it was something along the lines of how he was "such an idiot for doing that because now he was stuck inside the barrier, unable to use his magic now that he was in it".

 _Then again, only half of his body was between the barrier which meant that the same rules didn't apply to what was outside of it._

Smirking, the Fire Dragon Slayer got another idea lit up his elbow with his flames, which was outside of the barrier, and further propelled his body forward. The blue-haired wizard hadn't expected Natsu to be so crafty, so when he yelled out a loud _"Fire Dragon Flame Elbow"_ he wasn't prepared for the fist aimed at his face.

Using his magic as a boost for his arm, Natsu threw his fist forward and nailed Yuka right in the face; knocking him out almost instantly. Slightly out of breath, he turned around to face Toby, who had already activated his _'Mega-Jellyfish Paralysing Claws'_ as he stood in a defensive stance.

"It'll only take one tiny nick of my claws to completely paralyze your whole body. Just one touch from these babies and you won't be able to move a muscle."

Putting his hand on his hair, Natsu slowly nodded his head. "Is that so?"

"Yeah! So you'd better watch out. I'm a lot stronger than Yuka is!"

He resisted the urge to smirk."I'm sure that's true. But before we start fighting I feel like I should let you know that there's something on your head that you might want to take care of."

 _It was almost sad how easy it was to take Toby down; Natsu didn't even really have to do anything to him. Toby simply reached up and poked himself in the head with his claws and ended up accidentally paralyzing his entire body with his own magic. -How unfortunate, right?_

* * *

 _ **A/N: So as most of you probably already know, some number of months ago my mom was in the hospital with some health complications, which she eventually recovered from, but now she's shown some symptoms of having some more problems which is why I haven't been able to update in a while. Everything should be fine now, but I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on in case something else happens that causes me to disappear for days at a time.**_

 _ **Also, I apologize that I didn't cover this whole episode. Again, I didn't want to drag the chapter on and I felt that it was necessary to update. I'll try and post the rest of it within the next few days.**_

 _ ***I also just had family over for a week so I didn't have time to write a thing.**_

 _ **But I'm happy to be back and I missed you guys so much while I was gone~ I genuinely hope you all enjoyed the update!**_

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_


	14. Chapter 14

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 _I'm going to apologize ahead of time. My insults suck._

 _PROFANITY WARNING!_

 _Flashbacks will be italicized completely and separated from the rest of the text. Enjoy!_

* * *

-Galuna Island : Below the Temple of Moon-

Deliora, though encased in a thick layer of ice, was a terrifying creature that not all people could bear to stand in front of. Be it because of the demon's monstrous stature or simply because of the terrors associated with its name, most human's would be unable to endure under such an ominous creatures presence for long amounts of time without running away in fear.

 _Lyon Vastia, however, was **not** one of those humans._

He did not quake in the demon's presence nor did he find himself struck with panic when gazing up at its frozen face. No, Lyon was not afraid of Deliora one bit, instead, he only felt the strong desire of revenge; a burning ache for redemption; _an all consuming urge to kill._ Nothing mattered more to him then finally getting the chance to prove he was stronger than his mentor, that he was more than just a shadow of who Ur was, and he would do anything to finally have the chance to demonstrate his power. Even if that meant destroying the one thing she sacrificed her entire life for.

"My Lord, if you don't mind me asking, why did you spare the life of that Ice Wizard?"

Lyon was so invested in thinking about the outcome of his plans, and everything that led up to getting there, that he didn't hear one of his followers come up behind him, and it took him a moment to process the random question that they suddenly decided to ask. He was slightly peeved that someone had come to bother him during while he was trying to be alone, but he managed to keep his emotions in check and acted like he wasn't bothered at all.

"I can't say that I had any particular reason in mind except that I didn't find it necessary to shed any more blood. Nothing more, nothing less."

Much to his annoyance, though, his subject didn't let up, and Lyon didn't have to turn around to know that the voices owner was wearing a tiki-looking mask. None of his other followers would dare to question his final word, except for one, who always acted more cunning than the rest and could always find hidden meaning in his words. It was only because of these qualities, and their unyielding loyalty, that Lyon even dealt with their annoying qualities and allowed them to stay by his side. Yes, it was only because of these traits that he even considered dealing with their persisting curiosity and was the only reason he answered their question in the first place.

"Ah, but if that were the case then why did you send those three wizards of yours to destroy the village? It would seem to me that, Gray, the Ice Wizard, is a close acquaintance of yours. After all, you two spoke as if you were familiar with one another. If I may so so myself, my Lord, you seem to have quite a soft spot for him. Almost like the way one would treat their brother."

Lyon sighed but still didn't take his focus off of the demon, Deliora. Of course, this person hit the nail right on the head and was spot on with his assumption, but that didn't mean he was willing to let them know that so easily."Of course not. I simply didn't see the point in why I should kill any more people with my own two hands. Besides, I need to save up my magic. What would happen if Deliora were to be revived?" With his arms crossed across his chest, the boy's hands subtly clenched as he added: "However, do not mistake my actions for kindness. Should he get in my way again I won't hesitate to end his life, once and for all."

His subject smirked. "I cannot express how happy I am to hear you say that. It would truly be a shame if you allowed such a tiny scuffle to cloud your judgment and steer you away from your goal. We have to keep you focused on the bigger picture: finally expressing your true strength by killing Deliora."

"You don't have to remind me. I'm fully aware."

Whatever remorse he may have felt for losing his relationship with Gray was immediately replaced with a burning hatred at he looked up at Deliora. Gray just had to always be so selfish, didn't he? _He_ got to pursue _his_ dreams, but why did that mean he had to destroy Lyon's in the process? It wasn't fair! Lyon never even had the chance at accomplishing his goals! So after years of hard work, after doing everything he possibly could in his power, Lyon found Deliora and got a second chance at accomplishing his intentions. But then, suddenly, Gray just had to butt in _again_ and try and ruin things for him.

"No," Lyon clenched his fists, "not this time. Nothing will get in the way of my dream! Not even you. If you're wise, Gray, you'll stay as far away from me as possible. Because this time I really won't hesitate to kill you."

* * *

 ** _(Meanwhile)_**

 ** _\- Lucy v.s. Sherry -_**

 ** _Battle (2)_**

* * *

OK, Lucy would be the first person to admit that _maybe_ , just maybe, her plan wasn't the smartest one in the world. She wasn't exactly sure what gave her the idea that she could possibly hold a giant rat down, which was, at least, ten times larger than she was, with brute strength alone, or why she thought it was alright to take down an airborne animal (by tickling its feet, nonetheless) that could easily crush her like a bug. None of it made sense, she knew that, but it was as if her body acted on its own, and, next thing she knew, she was hundreds of feet away from the ground while dangling from some animal's leg.

And, of course, with her luck, Angelica just so happened to weigh **_far more_** than she actually looked, which, added in with the weight of the crash, resulted in a painful crash where Lucy was painfully squashed when she hit the ground.

That wasn't to say she regretted her choices, though. Draco taught the blonde to stand strong next to one's decisions and to not waver when they didn't go as planned, so, naturally, she was content with what she'd done; _even if that meant she was almost crushed to death in the process._ After all, she _did_ save the villagers from another potentially dangerous attack while also managing to bring down one of Lyon's lackeys -even if it was indirect, so it wasn't to say her decision was a complete mistake in the making.

With a groan, Lucy _finally_ managed to pull her body out from under Angelica before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. She should have been worried about where the rat's owner was or if there were any attacks heading her way, but with a mixture of nausea and irritation alongside a dose of dizziness and a migraine she found that she didn't really have the energy to scan her surroundings; or that she even cared, for that matter. Passing out and waking up with new memories, dealing with hysterical villagers, explaining the reasoning behind her pitfall trap, _and_ taking down Sherry and her rat took a big toll out of Lucy and her concentration. She'd dealt with a lot of responsibility within a couple of hours, more than she was used to dealing with, which is why she struggled to find the drive to do what she needed. It was also the same reason why she didn't see the emotional wizard standing several feet behind her.

"Y-you... H-how dare you! Y-you hurt my Angelica! And now..." Sherry sobbed as she glared down at the blonde in fury.

Lucy squinted up at the pink-haired mage in a mixture of annoyance and confusion and sighed. She was really not in the mood to deal with anyone's bullshit. "Listen, I have a killer headache right now. Plus, if we're being completely honest with one another, I really don't want to deal with any of your drama right now. So why don't you go cry somewhere else and allow me a small moment of peace?"

Her nonchalant attitude only seemed to fuel Sherry's anger on, and Lucy winced as she began to cry harder. "... Because of you, the Cold Emperor won't trust me anymore! H-he... He won't talk to me anymore! Because of you," She screamed causing the blonde's eyes to widen in wonder, " _he won't love me anymore!_ I'll make you regret ever messing with me!"

Still sitting on the ground, the Celestial Dragon Slayer scoffed before examining her nails. It didn't take a genius to know that Sherry was absolutely crazy, always going on spewing things about love and whatnot, so she wasn't very worried about what the girl could do. I mean, Sherry was friends with a _rat_ for Pete's sake! Wasn't that evidence enough of her wavering sanity? (Lucy chose to ignore the fact that she was also friends with an animal as well, because, let's be real, at least Saiya could _talk_ ; not just snicker evilly like Angelica. It _totally wasn't_ the same thing!)

"Yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that." Lucy responded as she used her hand to wave Sherry away dismissively.

If Lucy had known that her last action would set the girl off, she probably wouldn't have done it. If she had known that it would send Sherry into an even bigger fit of rage, she would have found something else to say. Sadly, though, Lucy was not that type of person and was particularly good at making the wrong decisions and pissing people off.

Oops, right?

* * *

As if she had finally reached her breaking point, the pink-haired mage threw her hand to the left and she activated her magic. Lucy perked up at the sound of Sherry's screams, becoming acutely aware of the sound of wood breaking alongside it, causing the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck. Sheepishly, she thought to herself if it was too late to say "sorry".

 _"Wood-Doll!"_

The blonde watched with wide eyes as one of the tree's next to her suddenly began to stand up; using its roots as legs and its large branches as fully-functional, lethal arms. It even had a face! So, as the fully animated tree loomed over her significantly smaller figure, roaring like that of a familiar demon she had come to encounter, the only thing Lucy could say was: _"Well shit."_

Sherry's Wood-Doll reeled its makeshift arms back before swiping directly at the blonde's figure. Lucy narrowly avoided the swift and powerful attack, which managed to make a visible, deep crater on the ground, by jumping back. Sliding back on the tips of her hands and feet, Lucy quickly realized that she had to create _another_ plan before things really got out of hand, and it wasn't long before she took a deep gulp of air and felt the familiar swell of her magic build up in her lungs.

 _"Celestial Dragon Roar!"_

Much to the blonde's disbelief, though, her attack did absolutely _nothing_. Not even a single chip of wood came off of the tree from her attack! Hell, the _leaves_ were still intact with the branches, and Sherry couldn't help but laugh out loud at her dazed expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was that attack of yours actually supposed to do something?" Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she dauntingly added, "By the way, did you just say something about a Dragon? If so, I didn't know they were so **weak**! Or maybe it's just yours that's lacking in the power category?"

Within an instant a low snarl fell from Lucy's lips, and had she not been high off the short feeling of victory, Sherry would've shivered in fear from the sound. It was purely animalistic and laced with far more fury than any person should normally experience.

 _"What did you just say?"_

"Oh dear, I knew that blondes were stupid but I think that you're in a whole different category of dumb! Here, let me say it in a way that you'll understand," the girl smirked, "your attacks are weak and your style is tasteless. I mean, who ever heard of sporting scales as a fashion statement? It's tacky and old, and certainly far from ever being cute. And don't even get me started on that horrendous piece of fabric your wearing! Is that supposed to be a _cloak_?"

Lucy wasn't really sure which comment did it for her. Maybe it was the fact that Sherry insulted her father without knowing the first thing about him, or if it was because she talked down about the only thing left that reminded her of her of said dragon. Maybe it was even the comment about the cloak Erza gave her, which she cherished almost as much as her sacred belt, or it could have just been a mixture of all three. All Lucy knew was that she couldn't stop herself as she summoned Taurus from the Celestial Spirit World to deal with the moving tree, while she turned around to face Sherry's attitude problem.

"Let's get one thing straight you bubble-gum haired bitch," A dark, almost black aura surrounded the blonde as she viscously glared up at Sherry's form, "my dragon is a thousand times stronger than you could ever wish to be. But you wouldn't know the first thing about being strong, would you? Because you go around hiding behind some pet rat, who, by the way, does all the work for you, and talks shit without having any real skill to back yourself up with. Insulting me is one thing, but bringing my dragon into the mix is a whole other deal that you're gonna regret bringing up in the first place!"

Gathering a load of her magic into her fist, Lucy got into an offensive stance and smirked as she snarkily added, "Oh one more thing. Don't go around telling me about how to dress when you can't even do it yourself. Your corset styled top looks cheap, along with the rest of your outfit, and is all around trashy. Your thigh-high boots are second-rate and your skirt is pretty basic. By the way, are those supposed to be wings? _Just how low are your standards?_ "

"That's funny." Sherry hissed. "I was about to say the same to you!"

* * *

Just as Lucy moved to shoot forward with the intention of nailing Sherry in the face with the strongest _"Celestial Dragon Iron Fist"_ she'd ever made, the pink-haired lady snickered cruelly before gesturing to the Bull several feet away. Taurus had just cut the Wood-Doll in half and was glancing in their direction with a proud smile, yet Lucy suddenly felt like there was an impending doom making itself at home on her shoulders. Surely she had nothing to worry about, right?

"Say, that wouldn't happen to be a Celestial Spirit, would it? Because if it was that could mean really bad news for you."

What was that supposed to mean?

Lucy's eyes narrowed into tiny slits at the underlying threat, and she had trouble holding herself back. It was only out of concern for her spirit that she didn't punch Sherry right in the face like she wanted, but knew better than to act without seeing the full picture first.

"And if I said he was?"

The pink-haired wizards smirk only grew. "Then that would mean game over. For you, that is."

Again, _what was that supposed to mean?_

Lucy found herself at a loss for words. She was still trying to figure out what Sherry was acting so cocky about, and what she was trying to imply she would do to her spirit. Time itself seemed to still as the blonde tried to figure everything out, and, all the while, the confident glint to Sherry's eyes only grew. She found great amusement in watching Lucy squirm as she wracked her brain for the answers she so desperately wanted to know. And knowing that she would never figure it out on her own only made things more fun.

Somewhere deep in her gut, Lucy knew that she may have made a mistake underestimating Sherry from the get-go. She still couldn't figure out what gave her such the boost in confidence, but even so, she clearly understood that nothing good would be coming out of it. The more time she wasted trying to understand things, the smaller her chances grew at defeating her. Lucy had to act, and she had to act _fast_.

It was clear enough that the blonde had to close her spirits gate before Sherry decided to attack; she had to make Taurus go home before anything bad could happen to him! Yet, Lucy still didn't act on her fears. Her fingers twitched to grab the gate key, but she knew better than to move so boldly. Even though she had no clue what the pinkette had in mind, it was easy to tell that the second she showed any signs of taking matters into her own hands, Sherry's would finally proceed with her plan. Both of them knew this very well, so the outcome simply depended on who decided to act first.

 **Neither woman had to make the decision, though, because Taurus chose for them.**

With a loud cry of, _"I'm gonna protect Miss Luucy's hot bod,"_ he ran forward with his ax balanced against his shoulder. Lucy immediately screamed at him to stop the second she saw him move, but her orders were in vain because Sherry found the perfect moment to attack.

Taurus suddenly froze, as per his master's orders, but she knew better than to think she was in control. Whenever she summoned a Celestial Spirit there was always a tiny link connecting her to whomever she called. It was always there, deep in her soul, yet this time, it somehow felt warped. It felt like something that shouldn't have been there _was_ , and a burst of terror tugged at the blonde's gut at the prospect.

What would happen to her friend now?

"How foul!" Sherry cringed. "What type of wizard forces her spirits to say such vulgar things? You know, I think I'll be doing your friend a favor here!"

Even though what she said pissed Lucy off to no end, she found that she couldn't open her mouth and say a thing in response. She wanted to defend herself, no, to defend her spirit and explain that she would never force her friends to do anything they didn't want to do, but Sherry had her boxed in. Lucy still didn't exactly know what the full extent of what the pinkette's magic was, or what type of magic she could cast for that matter, so she didn't want to risk making her any more upset. It could ultimately place her spirits life in danger if Lucy did.

Sherry's smirk reached its peak as if she knew exactly what thoughts were running rampant inside the blonde's head, and she could help but feel a swell of excitement bubble up in her stomach at the thought of making her suffer even more. What types of expressions and reactions would she make when realizing what her magic really was? Would she knowingly injure her spirit to close their gate, which would be the only way to do it, or fall by the hand of her very own comrade? There were so many unanswered questions that she wanted to know!

* * *

"Taurus," Lucy said very slowly, "close your gate."

Almost robotically the Golden Bull turned around with a pained look written across his face. His eyes gleamed with a nasty red hue, and as Sherry wiggled her fingers he was forced to take a giant step forward."I'm sorry Miss Luucy, but I can't control myself!" He cried.

Lucy shook her head and smiled gently at his distressed form. "It's alright, there's no need to panic! All you have to do is close your gate and this will all be over!"

"No, I'm afraid that's not how things work. Now Taurus, go!"

Sherry laughed cruelly as Taurus bolted forward, a burst of steam shooting out of his nostrils, with his ax pulled back. When he was in a range of his key holder, against his will, he threw his weapon forward in an attempt to hit her. Using the attack she created for Sherry, Lucy threw her fist forward and canceled out the attack with a sorrowful expression. Jumping back and using every defensive technique she knew, the blonde avoided her spirit's attack without ever dealing an offensive spell in return.

She would never willingly hurt one of her spirits. It didn't matter how injured she got in the process, it's just not something she could ever bring herself to do!

"Miss Luucy I'm not in control of myself!" The Golden Bull cried in terror. "Y-you have to hit me back! S-send me to the Celestial Spirit World!"

Much to his horror, the girl rapidly shook her head. "No! My spirits are my friends, not tools! I would never intentionally put you in harms way!"

"Please!" Taurus pleaded.

He didn't want to injure her! So what if he felt a little bit of pain? _He couldn't die!_ As soon as he returned to the Spirit Realm he would recover from her attack and everything would be OK. Why couldn't Lucy understand that and just send him home?! Could she not see that he didn't want to hurt her either?!

With one wrong step, the blonde lost her footing and was thrown backward after being hit in the stomach with her spirits weapon. She gasped in pain when she hit the ground, but quickly recovered from the attack nonetheless. She knew that Taurus was in far more agony being forced to attack her against his own will, so she had no right to put her pain over his! Sadly, though, Lucy was too slow in her movements and ended up getting tackled back down to the ground by her, much larger, spirit.

"You know, wizards like you tend to not like my magic. Can you tell why?" Sherry questioned as a wicked grin began to tug at her lips. Lucy was writhing in pain as Taurus forcibly held down both of her arms; squeezing them so hard it felt like they might break. "It's called Marionette Attack Magic. Isn't is just divine? Aside from humans, I can control any living thing. You know what that means, don't you? Your little spirit friend here is my puppet to control."

"L-let Taurus go! You're hurting him!" Lucy yelled as she attempted to look at the pinkette.

Ignoring her fury-filled cries, Sherry placed her finger on her chin in thought. "By the way, what were you saying earlier? Something about not having any skill to back myself up with? If I'm not mistaken, it seems to me like you were actually talking about yourself!" Giggling, the woman threw her hand forward. "Now, let's play a game! Taurus is going to close his eyes and punch blindly until he manages to hit his owner! It's kinda like Russian Roulette, right? Don't you think it'll be so much fun?"

* * *

Lucy winced as her spirit tightened his grip on her arms. " P-please! _C-close! Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!_ "

Sherry sighed in boredom as she continued watching the blonde's pitiful attempts at forcing her spirits gate shut. "That's not going to work. Shouldn't you know that both the spirit and their owner have to consent to close the gate? Taurus didn't agree with your command so that means it's not going to happen. Now, enough playing around! Let's get this show on the road!"

Regretfully, Taurus rounded his arm back before throwing his fist directly at his owners head. Lucy barely managed to dodge the attack by moving her head to the left, but even that plan would only work for so long. The only way she was going to be let go was if Taurus agreed to close the gate. In other words, the blonde simply had to motivate him to take his free-will back -even if only for a second. This was easier said than done, of course.

"Focus Taurus! You can do this, we both know you can! All you have to do-!" Lucy yelped as her spirits fist came crashing down next to her head, and she gulped as he rounded his arm back immediately after hitting the ground.

Sherry's laughter echoed throughout the island as the blonde continued dodging her spirits attacks, and beneath the surface, Lucy's blood was boiling. Who did she think she is, forcing Taurus to do things against his will? Could she not see that he was in pain? _That he could feel pain?_

Lucy shook her head and cleared her mind of such thoughts. She had to deal with her spirit first; Taurus' safety was the top priority in this situation! She couldn't afford to let her anger cloud her judgment.

"Listen to me. We both know that you can do this! Don't let her control you!" Lucy shrieked.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Taurus choked. "Hit me Miss Luucy! Please! I'm begging you!"

Much to Sherry's surprise Lucy's eyes squeezed shut. All of the tension left her body until she was laying limp on the ground, at the complete mercy of the Golden Bull's fists. The pinkette squinted at her in confusion; silently wondering if she really was an idiot.

"I'm not going to dodge this time. You made me a promise when we formed our contract! Don't tell me that you're going to break it now!" Taurus cried in horror as he connected both of his fists and raised them directly over the blonde's head, yet she still showed no signs of moving. Was she really intending to let him hit her?! "Remember the day that we met! Remember what you said to me!"

"Please move! I don't want to hurt you! I cannot hit my master!" He screamed as his fists came crashing down.

 _ **"No! Remember the bond that we created! Open your eyes and remember what you said to me, damn it! Stop fooling around!"**_

* * *

 _Lucy grumbled as she stomped through the vast grassland. Her feet were killing her, she was hungry after day's of walking without food, and she wanted nothing more than to plop down in the grass and go to sleep (which she probably would have had it not meant that she would get an earful from her exceed, whom would likely lecture her about why she couldn't go resting on other people's property). Nevertheless, she continued moving forward, mumbling small curses under her breath, while inwardly denying that the journey there wasn't as bad as she made it out to be._

 _I mean, at least the land was pretty to look at! The hill she stood on gave her a clear view of the entire farmland, which was littered with cattle and had the perfect view of the large blue sky. Even better, every so often a gentle breeze would dance through the grass and ruffle her hair, and a few clouds would block the sun so that the heat wasn't completely unbearable. It was likely the most peaceful place she'd ever been to and was just all around nice to stand in._

 _On the other hand, Lucy wasn't so sure if she could say the same about the ever-so-famous: Taurus, The Golden Bull._

 _From the second she met him hearts swelled up in his eyes and drool literally dripped out of his mouth; forming large puddles on the ground beneath his feet. He practically undressed her body with his eyes, for god's sake! And, what was possibly the worst thing out of them all, she'd have to constantly take steps away from the spirit in fear that he may have gotten a little... well... 'handsy'. _

_"I gotta say, you got a rockin' bod, Miss Lucy! C'mon, why don't you give me a smooch?"_

 _Lucy cringed and yanked on her cloak so that it covered up more of her body (-if that was even possible, considering she had it covering as much skin as it could). "Listen, is this supposed to be a joke or something? If you're not interested in making a contract with me then just say so. I have too many things to be doing to have you stand here and waste my time."_

 _Saiya nodded her head in accordance with the blonde's words. "Yeah! Lu came here looking to be friends with you, and even took away time from finding her dragon just so that she could find you!"_

 _Taurus laughed at the girl's expression, which, in his opinion, was extremely cute, but decided not to voice his thoughts because she seemed like the 'bashful' type. Her cheeks were a bright red out of embarrassment and her lips were jutted out in a small pout, with her arms crossed against her chest. Added in with the breeze that caused her hair to fan out all around her face, she looked like an angel that descended down from heaven!_

 _"Don't you worry about a thing pretty little lady! If you make a contract with me I swear that I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. No matter what happens or what type of situation you find yourself in, I'll make sure you and that hot body of yours stay safe!"_

 _The blonde's face burned at the spirits words, but she still flicked her eyes up to meet his. "You promise? Like I said, I'm not here to mess around."_

 _"I'll always be there! You can take me for my word!"_

* * *

Sherry's eyes widened in disbelief as Taurus dropped both of his fists in order to cradle his head. "What are you doing, you stupid bull?! Finish her off already!"

"You told me that I could depend on you and that you would never put me in harms way! We both know that you're way stronger than this, so take control of yourself! Prove to me that I didn't make a mistake allowing you to be one of my **friends**! I believe in that bond, and I know that you do too!"

Everyone's breath hitched as the Golden Bull threw one last fist forward, which stopped just inches away from his master's face. The red glint to his eyes disappeared, and as Lucy's eyes opened up she was surprised to find her spirit smiling at her face.

 _"I believe in you too."_ And just like that, Taurus' body was engulfed in a blinding golden light and he was sent back to the Celestial Spirit World.

Just like when they first met, Lucy's face turned red. "I won't let you down."

* * *

 **A/N: I MEAN NO HARM TO SHERRY IN THIS CHAPTER! I'M NOT TRYING TO BASH OR INSULT HER CHARACTER, I'M JUST TRYING TO SHOW ANOTHER SIDE TO LUCY THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN HOW I HAVE PORTRAYED HER SO FAR! (This was all in good fun and was not written with ill-will against either character. This was simply a tactic I wanted to try and use to show a more girly side to Lucy that you guys haven't seen yet).**

 ******I just got back from Baltimore for a Family Reunion (on my mom's side) which is why I have been unable to update. As much as I desperately want to continue pushing out updates, because I know that they have been fairly slow, I have to go to another reunion for my dad's side so I do not think I will be able to update. When I come back I will try to do another long chapter or a special to make up for my absence.******

 **Like I said, my insults suck. Sorry~**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**


	15. Chapter 15

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _PROFANITY WARNING!_**

 _OH MY GOD, I AM LITERALLY SO FREAKING SORRY. I did not mean to be this absent for this long, and I humbly apologize for the fact that I have been unable to update for the past few weeks. I just moved into a new apartment and got through my two weeks of band camp, which is why I wasn't able to write anything. But I'm back and I promise that I will push out as many updates as I can in the following week(s)_

 _Thank you for understanding, and enjoy!_

* * *

 **(Continued)**

 **\- Lucy v.s. Sherry -**

 **Battle (2)**

* * *

Taurus the Golden Bull disappeared in a flash of dazzling gold light, a bright smile tugging up the corners of his face as an apologetic glint twinkled behind his wide eyes. His apology lingered in the space surrounding his master even after his physical body vanished back to the Celestial Spirit World, reminding his owner of the strength she needed in order to stand tall against her opponent and to win her battle.

The crushing weight of being pinned to the ground immediately disappeared as soon as Taurus' gate was closed causing Lucy to gasp in relief; all the previous tension of having to fight her beloved spirit gone just as fast as said Bull had arrived and left. Her head lolled to the side, a burst of pride blooming in her chest, as a content grin formed on her face. Lucy allowed herself to momentarily ignore the threat of Sherry and her hard-to-get-around magic in favor of basking in the satisfaction of being able to save one of her friends, which caused her heart to warm in the purest way one could.

The pink-haired, Marionette Magic Wizard, on the other hand, was not in such good of a mood as her enemy was. Her face was flushed a light pink out of anger, displaying her utter annoyance for the surprising turn of events, as her eyes widened in disbelief. A thin trickle of sweat ran down the back of her neck as she struggled to wrap her head around how, as she would put it, the "blonde bimbo" could get past her Marionette Magic, and how Lucy was able to regain enough control over her spirit to send him back to his rightful home while he was still under her control. The Stellar Spirit Mage _should have_ been defeated by the hand of her own magic, by her very own spirit, yet, for some reason, this wasn't the case at all.

Which is why Sherry couldn't help but gulp, feeling slightly more anxious than before.

 _ **No one had ever been able to overcome her magic like that before.** _

The pinkette shook her head. This was not the time to be feeling flustered! Just because the blonde was able to overcome her magic one, completely on a whim, didn't mean that she would ever have the opportunity to do it again. Sherry had already proven that Lucy's Dragon Slaying Magic stood no chance against any of her 'Dolls', and it's not like the girl would be stupid enough to summon another Celestial Spirit to fight with her while knowing that they could be turned against her within a split-second. She had the Fairy all boxed in! There was nothing she could do now! All Sherry had to do was remain calm and keep a level head. So long as the blonde didn't try to pull anything, this battle was as good as hers to win!

Despite feeling slightly on edge, Sherry flicked her hair over her shoulder and attempted to smirk cooly. "Don't go getting all cocky now, Little Miss Blondie. Let's not forget that I can control any of the Celestial Spirits you decide to summon, _and_ that your other pathetic excuse of magic doesn't stand a chance against mine. There's no way in hell that you're going to beat me!" She declared confidently.

Lucy, who had long since pulled herself up from the ground, dusted a few specks of dirt off of her shoulder as she glanced dismissively at her enemy. "Yeah? We'll see about that."

Sherry eyed the girl carefully as she yanked a Silver Gate Key off of the belt secured to her hips, her Marionette Magic flaring up in her veins as she prepared herself to take control over whichever Celestial Spirit Lucy decided to summon to do her bidding. She scoffed when the blonde really swiped the key through the air, yelling: _"Open, Gate of Canis Minor! Nicola!"_ in the most daunting voice she'd ever heard. Just what did Lucy think she was doing?

Obviously, she had no chance at winning. There was no way Sherry was going to let Lucy get the jump on her for a second time!

In a burst of light identical to that of which appeared when Taurus was summoned, blobs of gold came together to make out the figure of a tiny white, snow-man-looking Celestial Spirit. It had a giant carrot for a nose and was so small that it barely stood above Lucy's ankle bones, and, oddly enough, its body shivered; trembling in every direction despite the island not being all that cold.

Sherry thought the Celestial Spirit was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen, and if she could, she would keep it as a pet alongside Angelica to shower with love. Her heart gushed with so much adoration for the Spirit that it felt like it might burst, and if you looked close enough it almost seemed like there were bright sparkles surrounding her body as she looked down at Plue's smaller form. However, even though she fell in love with the Celestial Spirit with one single glance, Sherry extended her arms out in front of her and allowed her magic to shoot directly toward him.

Similarly to what happened with Taurus, a purple light engulfed Plue's tiny figure causing his eyes to shine with a deadly pink hue. He promptly spun around on his heel and rushed toward Lucy as quickly as his little legs would carry him, before pummeling his weak fists against her legs.

Sherry, who was frozen in disbelief upon seeing how much strength the blonde's Spirit lacked, was completely unprepared to defend herself when said Celestial Spirit Mage shot forward; fists lit up in a blinding gold and white light as she reeled her arm back.

 _"Celestial Dragon Iron Fist!"_

Pain flared up in the side of her face as Lucy's fist connected with her cheek, the force behind her attack strong enough to get Sherry to stumble backward, over her own feet. Barely managing to keep herself from falling over, the pink-haired mage hardly regained her footing. She looked at Lucy with wide eyes, her hand cradling the growing welt on her face while the other mage smirked confidently.

"Don't go getting all cocky now, Sherry," She mocked, "Let's not forget that even if you take control over the Celestial Spirits I summon, it won't mean a thing if I bring forth a friend that isn't particularly strong at fighting. Oh, and just because my Dragon Slaying Magic isn't all that effective against your stupid dolls, doesn't mean it won't work against _you_. After all, your magic has a fatal flaw, and I've got it all figured out, which makes this fight as good as mine."

"And what exactly would that be, Miss Know It All?" Sherry hissed angrily.

Lucy's smirk widened as she answered the oh-so-obvious question. "Your Marionette Magic, while powerful and difficult to react against, only allows you the power to control one thing at a time. This means that if you're controlling one of my Celestial Spirits, you can't use your magic to create another Doll to defend yourself with against my Dragon Slaying Magic. In addition to this simple fact, if you already used your magic to make a Doll to fight with, you can't control my Celestial Spirit at the same time."

Sherry gasped and lunged to the left as the blonde suddenly shot forward again, her fists lit up in the same gold and white light that had engulfed her fists just moments before as she finished off her explanation.

"You only have one magic, whereas I have two, and unfortunately for you, that means bad news. No matter which way you decide to use your magic against me, I have two ways I can react given each situation, which makes this fight mine to win!"

* * *

She was right, and it bothered Sherry to no end that she was. Her Marionette Magic made her a difficult opponent to deal with due to the wide range of spells she could cast, but Lucy was right in saying that she could only control one thing at a time and that single flaw made the pink-haired wizard extremely mad.

No, there was no way she was going to loose. She would win this battle at any cost! This was not to be her downfall!

Releasing Plue from her control, Sherry threw her arms to the sky as she used her magic to create another doll for her to control. The white Celestial Spirit bowed profusely, immensely sorry for attacking his master, while rocks all over the ground started to rumble and float into the air. Lucy waved Plue off with a grin, saying that it was "Ok" and that he could "go home now", before closing his gate feeling even stronger than before. Now that she didn't have any Celestial Spirits out, the blonde could focus on pouring all of her magic and focus entirely on her Dragon Slaying abilities. The time to end this fight was now!

 _"Marionette Magic: Giant Rock Doll!"_

 _"Celestial Dragon Roar!"_

Lucy wasted no time in retaliating against Sherry's approach, not wanting to let her have the chance to get the advantage when she'd just gotten it back. She scowled slightly when her attack didn't do anything _(again)_ but remained positive nonetheless. She could find a way around this! Draco had warned Lucy when teaching her his magic that she may have difficulty fighting Earth Wizards, or have trouble against spells involving life on the ground, but she didn't actually think he was being serious (-especially when he didn't even bother to explain to her _why_ she might have trouble fairing against these types of attacks). But she also remembered that he told her if she focused she could overcome her own flaws.

Natsu's was water, and hers was the earth. _She could do this!_

Sherry, who was standing on the head of her Rock Doll, laughed as she loomed over Lucy's much smaller figure. "That was cute and all, but I think it's about time we wrapped this whole thing up. I think I've wasted enough of my time on you!"

With a twitch of her fingers, Sherry's Rock Doll lifted it's giant fist into the air. Seconds later they crashed back onto the ground, just where Lucy had been standing, sending chunks of the earth in every direction. The pink-haired wizard snickered as she watched the Stellar Spirit Mage run off, barely dodging the dangerous attack; seeking refuge in the cover of the forest in a futile attempt at an escape. She just loved these games so much!

There was no way she was about to let her get away!

* * *

Lucy panted as she rolled to the left. She found herself without any more space to escape on, and instead stood on a large cliff that overlooked the ocean surrounding the island. As if that wasn't already big enough, her Dragon Slaying Magic still wasn't doing anything to Sherry's Rock Doll. If she continued to waste magic on attacks that didn't do any damage then there was absolutely no way she had any chance at winning her battle, which would not only put the villagers in danger but her friends too.

Frantically, the blonde grabbed her Key Ring and began searching through all the Celestial Spirits she had contracts with.

 _This was not how things were supposed to be going!_

"You know, I'm not quite so sure what's funnier: that terrified expression on your face or just the mere image of your weak attempts at dodging!" Sherry sneered as the blonde barely managed to avoid a jab from her Doll.

Panting, Lucy spun around, forcing out a big _"Celestial Dragon Wing Attack!"_ , in an attempt at forcing the Rock Doll back; giving her a moment to catch her breath and enough time to find a place to go. Regretfully, the attack still did no damage, and instead of getting Sherry to move back several feet, Lucy was thrown backward when the mass of rock stomped on the ground right in front of her. The force of the attack sent her reeling backward, all the air in her lungs gone with a startling 'whoosh' as soon as her body hit the ground.

"It was fun while it lasted, but I'm afraid that I'll just have to end things here."

Time seemed to flow in slow motion as Sherry's Rock Doll lifted both of its fists above its head. Lucy was still on the ground, her eyes desperately looking for somewhere to escape to, before something else caught her attention. The blue and white Gate Key she created, which belonged to the Spirit of the Ice Dragon, was glowing all on its own and actually seemed to move on her Key Ring, if only slightly. It was a dangerous gamble, but maybe by summoning him Lucy would have a chance at beating Sherry once and for all.

 _"But then again,"_ Her subconscious reminded her, _"there's no telling what could happen if you do open his gate. For all you know he could turn on you, or Sherry could just take control of him like she did with Taurus and Plue. You don't even know if you'll have enough magic left to force his gate shut if that did happen."_

Still, though, what else was there that Lucy could actually do? No matter what she did, nor how hard she thought through her attacks and focused, her Dragon Slaying Magic wasn't dealing any damage against Sherry's living Dolls, and she didn't have a Celestial Spirit strong enough to destroy it either. It was a tough choice to make, and there was no telling what would actually happen if she opened the Spirits gate, but there was nothing else that she could do.

The Rock Doll threw its arms down, and Lucy lunged for the key.

She'd make her decision now!

 _"Open, Gate of The_ _ **-what the hell**_ _?!"_ The Stellar Spirit Mage squealed in horror as the portion of the ground she was sitting on suddenly broke off from the rest of the cliff, gravity and the weight of the ground working together to propel her body into a free-fall onto the earth below. Sherry's Rock Doll missed the blonde's moving body by an inch, and she watched with wide eyes as the girl plummeted toward the ground below; hitting the earth with a painful 'thud' that roused up a large cloud of dust.

Wheezing, Lucy's eyes shot open and a gasp tore through her throat as she roughly collided with the ground. Nausea bubbled up in the back of her throat due to the rocky ride and had Sherry not yelled something along the lines of "don't let her get away", then she really would have sat there and thrown up for the rest of the day. However, since the Marionette Mage's Rock Doll was growing closer by the second, Lucy scrambled up to her feet and started to run away again (grateful for the new open space she could escape on).

"There's no way I'm letting you get away this time blondie! I've had just about enough of you; this ends _now_!" The pink-haired wizard screamed as she threw her arms above her head.

Lucy grabbed at all of her Gate Keys. There really was no telling what could happen if she did summon the Ice Dragon, and on top of that, she had no clue _what_ he would do after his gate finally was opened! There wasn't even any guarantee that he wouldn't just ignore her every command and attack her instead.

 _Wait!_

The cogs inside the Stellar Spirit Mage's head started to turn. She already had a Celestial Spirit who did all of those things to her! Lucy didn't know if this spirit would be strong enough to destroy the Rock Doll entirely, but maybe they could wash it away! Yanking the Gold Zodiac Key off of her belt, the blonde abandoned the idea of summoning the other risky spirit, and plunged it into the vast water of the ocean; pouring every last bit of her magic energy into summoning this one last person, while silently praying that her plan would actually work out in her favor.

 _"Open, Gate of The Water Bearer! Aquarius!"_

Instead of the usual gold light that always appeared when summoning a Celestial Spirit, some of the water in the ocean shot straight up into the air to form a vortex that Aquarius emerged from. Over the sound of the roaring water, Lucy could have sworn Sherry had yelled: "how the hell did some weakling like you get a contract with _the_ Aquarius?" but she pretended like the latter female hadn't spoken up, to begin with, in the first place.

"Listen to me Aquarius, I need you to take care of that girl up there! She's my enemy which makes her yours too, so-!" The blonde paused as her Spirit suddenly clicked her tongue; feeling anger and fury bubble up in her veins at the direct display of disrespect the blue-haired woman suddenly gave her.

Aquarius smirked in amusement at the peeved expression written across her Master's face, a small laugh sounding from her lips as she saw the rage shimmering behind her big brown eyes. "I see you haven't changed at all since the last time you summoned me. You're still just as annoying as I remembered you to be. Isn't that just a shame?"

Lucy yanked at her hair in frustration. "Shut up and just take care of her already! I don't have time for this!"

"This is why you don't have a boyfriend, you know. No one would be stupid enough to get with a little girl like you."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

The two women fell silent as Sherry suddenly started laughing, her arms extended out in front of her as she reactivated her Marionette Magic. Yet again, a purple light shot out from Sherry's fingertips that engulfed Aquarius' figure, turning her eyes red, and forcing her under the girl's control.

"Now listen to _me_ , Aquarius. Get rid of that little fly!"

The Celestial Spirit sneered haughtily. "You don't have to tell me twice!"

Aquarius lifted her Urn high above her head, using it to collect gallons of water from the sea, before flinging it over her shoulder to create a giant wave that would wash Lucy away. The blonde braced herself for impact; squeezing her eyes tightly shut as to ensure she wouldn't get any salt water in them, while Sherry continued to laugh cruelly (thinking she had finally won). The pink-haired wizard froze, though, when the wave continued to move, even after it had already swallowed up Lucy, toward her. Frantically, she scrambled to get down from her Giant Rock Doll only to be swept up by the wave anyway; being yanked by the currents to join Lucy in the middle of a giant vortex within the water.

The Celestial Spirit watched in amusement as the two girls screams echoed throughout the island, her vortex still spinning them wildly. "And to think that I'd actually meet someone more ignorant than Lucy is. Having one stupid human around to order me around is more than enough for me, I don't need another to be added to the list."

When the water from Aquarius' attack finally receded back to its rightful place in the ocean, Lucy barely managed to find enough energy within herself to get back up on her feet. She could see Sherry making her way to a standing position several feet away from her, but even she wasn't moving at a pace much quicker than her own.

"I don't know what's worse," The pink-haired wizard stuttered as she shakily pulled herself up from the ground, "the fact that you actually managed to trick me again, or that you have such a mean Celestial Spirit that she's willing to hit you with her attacks."

Lucy smirked painfully, her stomach a nauseous mess from being thrown around for so long, as she grabbed for something on her belt. Sherry gasped as the blondes whip suddenly coiled around her stomach, eyes going wide as her arms were forcibly pinned down to her side. Not giving her the chance to say, or do, anything more, Lucy yanked the girl toward her with enough strength to make her trip over her feet.

The last thing Sherry saw was Lucy's fist, which smashed painfully into the uninjured side of her face before everything went black.

"The first punch was for talking shit," the blonde panted, "the second was for everything else that you did."

* * *

 _\- Battle End -_

* * *

When Lucy's legs gave out from under her she fully expected herself to fall back to the ground, which is why her eyes shot open in surprise when two hard, armor-clad fists suddenly grabbed onto her body and kept her upright. Scarlet red locks fanned out around Titania's face as she looked down at the blonde; a deadly glint playing behind her eyes as she glared at the younger girl. Lucy had half a mind to flinch at the piercing grip Erza had on her arms, but her anger wouldn't allow her body to display such a sign of weakness.

 _"She knew they were going to seal your magic away,"_ A voice in her head had said, _"she betrayed you. You don't owe her any apology; she owes you hers."_

Erza's glare hardened when Lucy's gaze started to grow sharper, a low growl sounding from the back of her throat as an early warning. What she really wanted to do was shove the scarlet haired wizard back several feet and punch her in the face like she had with Sherry, but Lucy knew better than to do so, and actually decided to act civil (for the time being, that is).

"I'm assuming that I don't have to explain the reasoning behind my appearance here," Titania said in a low voice, taking note of the bruises covering the blonde's skin, "so I'm guessing that the real question I should be asking is if you're going to come home willingly or if I'll have to take you by force?"

Lucy growled. "No, that's not quite right. The _real_ question you should be asking is if you're going to get out of my way willingly and let me finish this mission, or if I'm going to have to kick your ass first and then finish the mission anyways?"

"Lucy-!" Titania warned.

The blonde shook her head and shoved Erza back. " _No_! You can't do that anymore; you don't get to act like you care about me when not even a few days ago you stabbed me in the back! These people need our help, Erza. We can't just abandon them!"

 _"I don't care about any of that!"_ The redhead snapped, _"All I care about is getting you back to the guild in one piece! You're not even an S-Class Wizard Lucy; you know that! You know you're not qualified to help these people, and acting like you are is only going to hurt them more in the long run!"_

Lucy's heart clenched painfully. "Yeah? Well, you're not qualified to help me either, so I guess that makes two of us that aren't equipped to do our job. I'm seeing the end of this mission whether you like it or not. And nothing you say is going to stop me or change my mind."

* * *

 _\- Meanwhile, The Following Morning : At The Refuge Camp -_

Gray awoke with a startled grunt as he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed, under an unfamiliar tent, with sand beneath his feet and the sound of the ocean in the background. His body screamed in protest when he sat upright, the bandages wrapped around his torso tightening out of the sudden tension before relaxing back into their original place. A blinding light forced the boy to cover his eyes when he emerged from the tent; the dim conditions inside were drastically darker than out of it, considering that none of the sun's rays bled through the fabric enough to wake him up.

A voice to his left startled him out of his thoughts, and Gray squinted at one of the villagers in confusion as she smiled gently at his injured form. "Ah, I see you've finally woken up. We were starting to get afraid that you never would, considering how hurt you got yesterday."

"Oh... Where are we? Why aren't we back at the village?"

The girl's grin faltered. "The village was completely destroyed last night when three wizards came to attack, and we were forced to relocate here. If it wasn't for your two friends I'm sure things could've turned out far worse, though. Luckily nobody got hurt in the process and we all managed to come out OK." She explained.

"T-that's horrible. I'm so sorry, I didn't know..." Gray apologized, feeling guilty that he brought up such a touchy subject.

She giggled slightly. "It's not your fault, really, so there's no reason for you to feel sorry for it. We're all very grateful for the help you and your guild have given us, so please don't apologize."

"I see. Speaking of Natsu and Lucy, where are they?" The Ice-Make Wizard coughed.

"Actually, I was supposed to show you to them when you woke up. They're in that tent over there, but I'd suggest that you hurry. They've been waiting on you for a while now." The girl answered as she pointed at a big brown tent standing several feet away from where they were.

As he was walking away, Gray could have sworn he'd heard the female villager say _"good luck"_ , but that was utter nonsense, right? There was absolutely no way he was **actually** going to need it... _Right?_ Steeling his nerves, the Ice Mage shook off an impending feeling of doom and separated the curtain that acted as a door on the tent.

 _Wait, was that Erza sitting there? And was it just him or did she look absolutely pissed?_

 _On second thought maybe he did need that luck after all._

* * *

"Gray, how kind of you to finally join us. I've only been waiting for, I don't know, a couple of hours now. Luckily for me, I've had Lucy and these two cute little exceeds to keep me company." Erza explained in a sickly-sweet tone as she patted on Lucy's head, who was completely tied up from head to tow with a gag in her mouth; Happy and Saiya sitting in a matching position with tears streaming down their faces.

"If you don't mind me asking," the boy stuttered, "but why are they all tied up?"

Erza smiled; an action that caused an array of shivers to race down Gray's spine, which had absolutely nothing to do with his choice of magic abilities. "Well, Lucy here decided that she didn't want to act like a real lady and wouldn't walk on her own two feet. Naturally, I took the only course of action that I could; which was tying her up. As for Saiya and Happy, they tried to run away as soon as they saw me. I couldn't have them spilling the beans on my arrival, now could I?"

He shouldn't ask. He didn't want to know.

 _He did anyways._

"...And the gag?"

At this, Titania's smile broadened. "Yes, thank you for reminding me about that. Lucy here has a foul mouth, so I had to shut her up to keep her from spitting out all those curses she loves to use. I'll have to make sure that I rinse out her mouth with soap when we get home. Now, enough dilly-dallying. Where is Natsu?"

"I don't know. Last I saw him was back at the village, which, as far as I know, has been completely destroyed. Doesn't Lucy know?"

Erza sighed. "No, she doesn't. And neither does Happy. The three of us went out and searched for him but didn't come up with anything. We were hoping you would know so that I can hurry up and bring you five trouble-makers home."

" _What?!_ Did you even hear what you said just now?!"

"Yes, I did. I'm fully aware of what been happening on this island recently; Lucy has already filled me all in. However, I came here to finish the job that _you_ were sent to do. Nothing else concerns me other than finding Natsu and bringing you five home. None of you are capable of doing this job, and not only are you putting your lives at stake but the villagers too. This isn't a game, Gray."

The Ice-Make Wizard clenched his fists. "You're the one playing games here, Erza. We both know that you're not this cruel, so stop acting like you are. I bet that's why you gagged Lucy, to begin with: because she was telling you all the things I'm saying to you!"

"Oh? You dare face the same punishment as the rest of these rule-breakers?"

"The rules have nothing to do with this anymore. We all know the difference between what's wrong and what's right. Well, I guess everybody does except for you."

* * *

 _ **A/N: The thing about Lucy having trouble against Earth Wizards/Earth Spells will eventually be explained (I PROMISE) so please be patient -and yes, I do know that Lucy eats rocks as a way to replenish her DS Magic. Also, thanks a bunch for being so understanding of the last chapter. It seems like you guys enjoyed it, and the feedback everybody gives me helps me become a better writer.**_ _ **Sorry again that I've been gone for so long!**_

 _ **(I know that I kind of cut this episode short, but it just felt right to end it here, so with the next update I'll pick up where I left off.)**_

 _ **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**_

 _ **I had to go to the dentist today**_ ** _ಥ_ಥ_**


	16. Chapter 16

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _PROFANITY WARNING!_**

 _*For the sake of the fact that I've already done a flashback into Gray's past (the long one where he met Lucy) I'm not going to do another one explaining his training with Ur and Lyon. I will do a brief summary of it though, so I'm not just going to skip it all together, I just don't feel the need to dedicate a whole portion of the chapter to it. I feel like I've dragged this Story Arc long enough, so with these next few chapters, I'm really trying to wrap things up so that we can move onto bigger and better things*_

* * *

 _\- Galuna Island : Inside the Temple of Moon -_

Lyon looked down at his lone follower with a blank expression despite his total disbelief for the situation at hand. To say that he was only slightly confused as to how this person was the only one left out of his other two (stronger) lackeys would be an understatement, but he hid his emotions well as to not alert them of his troubles.

"So you're telling me that Sherry and Yuka have been defeated by those Fairies and that you're now the only one who still stands, Toby?"

The dog-like wizard bowed his head, unable to meet his leader's gaze out of embarrassment from his own childish mistake (;poking himself in the head with his very own _Mega-Jellyfish Paralysing Claws_ ), and glanced at his feet in shame.

"They're stronger than they look, Cold Emperor. Underestimating them was an unfortunate mistake on my part, and I fell for one of their tricks after Yuka was defeated. After I woke up I searched the forest and found Sherry unconscious. The blonde spirit girl wasn't anywhere to be seen, either."

Lyon folded his hands in his lap as he sat back in his thrown. "So it would seem. And what would your opinion on the matter be, Zalty?"

Toby jumped as the mask-wearing wizard appeared at his side; startled as to how they got there in the first place. "Well, the recent turn of events will limit our upcoming response, but I doubt it's anything for you to worry yourself with, Cold Emperor. While the fall of Sherry and Yuka is a tragic one, the resurrection of Deliora can still be completed so long as those Fairy Tail wizards don't put their noses where they don't belong. If the Moon Drip continues as planned I would say that Deliora can be awakened as early as tonight."

"I can't say that your knowledge of the situation at hand is surprising, considering that you always seem to be the most informed person around. However, I wouldn't be too worried about whatever those pesky Faries decide to do. I'll handle them just fine on my own should they decide to try and interfere."

Zalty smirked. "It's always a help to know that you're up and ready to fight at a moments notice Cold Emperor, but such a leader as yourself shouldn't sully his hands with the blood of such troublesome wizards. With your permission, I would gladly join the fight and act on behalf of you."

Lyon nodded his head, the prospect of having a wizard who knew a form of Lost Magic on his side sounding very promising. The defeat of his two strongest wizards certainly was a setback in itself, and if the Faries did decide to attack it could mean trouble for the boy himself. Not willing to put the resurrection of Deliora at risk, Lyon would let Zalty do as he wished (for the time being, at least).

"I suppose we could use the extra help. Do not disappoint me. The same goes for you Toby; I don't need to hear that you poisoned yourself _again_."

Toby scowled, his face growing pink in humiliation. "Hey! I said that it was an accident!"

Just as he finished his flustered statement, the Temple suddenly started to shake; small and large pieces of debris falling from the ceiling as a result of being such an old building. Unbest to them at the time, Natsu was outside using his Fire Dragon Slaying Magic to destroy the pillars on the left side of the structure so that it stood out at a jutted angle. People inside the Temple were thrown all around as the building tilted to the left, sending them tumbling down the halls on top of each other.

Lyon's eyes widened when he felt the ground beneath his feet start to heat up, before a burst of fire shot up directly through the floor; creating a reasonably sized hole for Zalty and the two other wizards to look down through. Several floors down stood Natsu who was glaring at the Cold Emperor with such angry eyes that even Titania, Erza would run away if she saw it.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Lyon demanded.

The Fire Dragon Slayer cracked his fists, the intensity of his glare growing by the minute. "You know, I'll never understand why sickos like you get so much pleasure out of hurting other people, but you got another thing coming if one of them ends up being one of my friends! I already paid you back for hurting Gray by turning the Temple on its side, so now you can't finish resurrecting that demon way down below. But I still owe you a beating for targeting Lucy. She's new to the guild and I'll be damned if I let you lay a hand on her!"

Lyon clenched his teeth, furious as to how one idiot could ruin his plans so easily. By destroying all of the pillars on one side of the building, causing it to tilt directly on its side, the moonlight from the Moon Drip ceremony wouldn't hit Deliora's frozen body properly, preventing the resurrection from being completed since the ice couldn't be melted completely.

Stuck in a world of his own thoughts, Natsu smirked as he looked up at the unmoving Ice-Mage. "Fine, don't want to come to me? Then I'll just bring the party to you!"

With flames shooting out of his feet, the pink-haired wizard jumped up several floors at once. His head collided roughly with Lyon's stomach, propelling both of their bodies up into the air until they hit the ceiling. Lyon's body cracked, though, exploding into a million pieces of ice, nothing more than a fake. Natsu, who was still airborne, looked over his shoulder in surprise when the real Cold Emperor activated his Ice-Make Magic from somewhere far behind him.

 _"Ice-Make: Eagle!"_

Lyon grinned, the familiar surge of victory pumping through his veins as his ice creation descended upon the pink-haired wizard. Nobody, no matter how talented they may be, could dodge that many projectiles at one (especially when they were in the air). Or so he thought, at least.

Natsu used his magic to propel his body back to the ground, dodging the sharp eagles just seconds before they could reach him, and did what he always did best: _destroyed everything._ Fire shot out from his hands and feet, scorching anything and everything that his flames could reach before he made his lungs swell up with his flames.

 _"Fire Dragon Roar!"_

Zalty snickered as he extended his hand, a teasing grin tugging up the corners of his lips as he used his magic to melt the floor directly under Natsu's position. He fell through in the nick of time; just before his attack could follow through with the Cold Emperor, and had it not been for Zalty himself, Lyon would've been more than just a 'crispy' mess like Toby was.

"Please do not mistake my actions for insult, Cold Emperor, for I am only acting on what the big picture entails. You need to have a large reserve of magic within your arsenal to be able to defeat Deliora since you're the only one who can. We can't be letting you get all injured, now can we?"

Letting his anger get the best of him, ice began to protrude out from underneath Lyon's feet until the entire room was encased with his magic. "Are you trying to imply that I would fall victim to such a measly, pathetic excuse of magic? Because, for your sake, I'd hope that's not what you're trying to say at all."

"Of course not. I would never suggest such a thing." Zalty replied.

"Good. _I will_ defeat Deliora and surpass my master no matter what the cost may be. Now begone. I will handle this imbecile by myself just fine."

The mask-wearing wizard bowed, the amused smirk tugging at his lips hidden as he faced the ground. "Your wish is my command."

And just like that, he was gone.

Natsu glowered, his glare darkening as the two lackeys left the room, leaving him alone to deal with Lyon. "So that's what this is about? You're going through all this trouble to surpass your Master when you can just challenge them yourself?"

"You don't understand. Because of Gray Ur is dead, along with my dream of ever becoming stronger than her. She couldn't defeat Deliora on her own, which is why she used the Ice Shell to forever encase him in ice, but now that I have the great demon I finally have a chance to prove that I've always been the stronger wizard!"

"Don't be so sure of yourself. Gray may be a stupid Ice Princess but he's still my friend, and he seemed pretty set on making sure that demon wasn't revived, so I'll go ahead and finish the job for him by defeating you here and now!"

Lyon smirked, his arm extended out in front of him as he activated his magic. "Then why don't we see just who's the stronger wizard? Come, let's see if you really live up to your name Salamander."

 _"With pleasure!"_

 _ **Let the battle begin.**_

* * *

 _\- Meanwhile : Somewhere Else On The Island -_

"This is exactly why you shouldn't have taken this mission, Lucy! What would you have done if Deliora was actually revived? _And_ just what the hell were you thinking, going into the Moon Drip like that? What if you got yourself killed?!" Erza demanded as she ran next to the blonde, Gray several feet ahead of them; stuck in his own thoughts.

Lucy rolled her eyes, growing increasingly more annoyed with the earful the scarlet haired woman had been giving her since they left the tent (-where Erza fully grasped the reality of what had happened since her friends first landed on the island).

"I dunno _mom_. The prospect of jumping into a mysterious and potentially dangerous, purple light sounded like so much fun that I just couldn't resist myself and dove right in. Have I mentioned that I've started growing another foot since it happened and that these weird purple, scales have started appearing on my skin?"

Titania's eye twitched at the blatant sarcasm. "Don't give me sass _young lady_! You'll speak to me with respect!"

"Oh my god, I don't even understand what the big deal is Erza!" The Stellar Spirit Mage groaned, completely exasperated with the situation at hand, "I got my Dragon Slaying Magic back and came out of the light just fine! Nothing's even wrong with me! Have a little faith every once in a while, why don't you. _I'm not completely helpless!_ "

"I'd hate to break up your little quarrel, but there's something you guys need to know about Deliora." Gray suddenly exclaimed causing the two girls to shut up upon noticing the dark change in atmosphere. "Lyon doesn't know about this because Ur made me promise to keep it a secret from him, _but she's still alive_ ; he just doesn't know it yet."

Lucy's eyes widened, completely forgetting about the little argument she was having just moments before. "What are you talking about? How can she be here, but not be physically alive? What is she, a Celestial Spirit?" _Maybe this person knew where Draco was._

Gray shook his head. "No, nothing like that." He answered, much to her confusion (and slight disappointment), "After Deliora destroyed the village I was living in as a child, Ur and Lyon found me trapped under a pile of rubble. Both of my parents had died in the attack, so Ur naturally took me in. I swore on my parents grave that I would avenge them by getting rid of the demon that was the cause of their death, and under my declaration Ur taught me Ice-Make Magic to help me along the way."

A small, but pained, smile seemed to tug at his lips as he continued on with his tragic tale, and Lucy couldn't help but remember how she had the same expression each time she went out in search of Draco, only to find that he wasn't there.

"Her methods were more than weird, and no matter how many times she denied it, she's the direct cause of my stripping habits. After everything I had ever known disappeared before my very eyes, Ur had given me home and treated me with more kindness than I ever truly deserved. I was a bratty kid and always questioned her teaching, but she always treated me with respect nonetheless." Gray paused, his throat constricting as he came up on the grim end of his story.

After a moment of silence, he resumed: "But one day after I went through months of training with Lyon, I heard a rumor that Deliora had appeared in Brago and jumped at the opportunity of getting my revenge. That same day, I left in the middle of the night with the full intent of killing Deliora. Ur had begged me not to go, saying that I wasn't ready to take on such a strong demon, but I left anyway; going against her advice. And she ended up being absolutely right because when I finally did find Deliora, she had to step in and save my life, sacrificing hers in the process. Deliora was too strong to be defeated by any normal means, and in the process of protecting me, she had to cast a dangerous spell that takes the wizards life."

Erza frowned, the pieces of the story finally coming together. She had heard of spells like this before and had an idea of what the Ice Wizard was talking about. "The Iced Shell, I presume?"

He nodded his head. "It's a form of Ice Magic that uses the casters physical and spiritual body to encase the desired object in ice. Originally Lyon was going to cast it in an attempt to finally surpass Ur, his life-long dream, without knowing the true cost behind performing the spell. Ur froze his entire body with regular Maker Magic since he was beyond reasoning and wouldn't stop, which is why Lyon doesn't know the truth behind her death. She made me promise to tell him that she was killed in the attack, and ever since that day Lyon has resented me for killing his dream."

"So your mentor is the ice that encased Deliora then?" Titania questioned, wanting to make sure that she fully understood the truth behind the tragedy.

Gray nodded his head again. "Yes. But Lyon doesn't know that he's inadvertently killing Ur himself by melting the ice surrounding it."

Lucy sighed loudly causing the two other wizards to glance at her suddenly; their bewilderment for her behavior growing as they saw the small smirk tugging at her lips (which was odd considering that they were just talking about somebody dying). "Well, I can't exactly say that I fully understand nor relate to your situation, but I do know how it feels to lose somebody important to you. This kid seems like he's somewhat of a brother to you, so I'll go ahead and give you the pleasure of kicking his ass no matter how much I'd rather do it myself."

"Lucy, you..."

She grinned; her eyes shining with determination. "Don't worry about Deliora for right now and just focus on making Lyon accept the truth. I get the feeling that's what your planning to do, anyway. Erza and I will make sure Deliora's not revived, so go ahead and do what you gotta do. We'll be backing you up all the way!"

He didn't know how she managed to do it, but that was everything Gray ever needed her to say. Knowing that he had such great friends there to support him only made his plan get clearer, and even though she didn't know it, Lucy's words would have a big impact on the Ice Wizard's upcoming decisions.

* * *

Lucy, Erza, and Gray all jumped at the same time when a flurry of sharp, boomerang-shaped blades suddenly flew out from the treeline of the forest. By the time they landed back on their feet a swarm of purple-robed people had already emerged from the trees, forming a circle around them in order to box them in. Grey masks covered their faces, keeping their identities secret, while the same oddly-shaped blades that shot out of the forest were clutched tightly in their hands.

From the corner of her eyes, Lucy noticed that the Temple of Moon was tipped over at an angle and she couldn't help but laugh. "It looks like Natsu was already one step ahead of us with the whole 'stopping Lyon thing' whether he meant to do it or not. I suggest that you hurry up and get over there before he finishes the job for you, Gray."

Erza smirked, nodding her head in agreement. As she used her Requip to summon a sword into her hand, she said: "I agree with Lucy on this one. We'll handle things here. You go settle the score with Lyon and make sure Natsu is OK."

"Are you guys sure?" He asked in uncertainty as his eyes scanned over the sheer number of people the two girls would have to deal with.

"Don't go getting all soft on us now! Hurry up and do what you need to!"

"Right. I'll leave this to you, then."

Erza smiled as the blonde came up to her left, whip clutched tightly in her hands as Gray ran off toward the Temple, in the other direction. "Look at you being all friendly. This isn't like you, you know. What happened to the sassy little girl I used to know who didn't need any friends?"

She shrugged her shoulders, desperately fighting the contagious expression (and failing). "What can I say? People change. Besides, I kinda know how Gray must feel, losing Ur the way he did. Draco disappeared suddenly, just like his mentor did, so I know how important it must be to him that Deliora isn't revived. I know that if Drago gave his life away to seal something away, and somebody came in and tried to undo what he gave his life for, I'd be pissed."

 _"We've got you now, Fairy Tail! No matter what, we will not let you interfere with the Cold Emperor's plan! Deliora **must** be revived!"_

"You'll find your dragon someday, Lucy. But right now I think we've got bigger things to deal with." Erza explained as the robed attackers all raised their blades.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. Let's do this!"

Titania wouldn't admit it out loud, but having her sister-figure fighting by her side was very uplifting. She realized that it was wrong to have sealed her magic away and that she truly did hurt Lucy by doing it without her permission. After they were done here, Erza was going to apologize if it was the last thing she'd do. She owed her that much, at least.

* * *

 _\- Back at the Temple of Moon -_

Natsu panted as his Dragon Slaying Magic canceled out Lyon's Maker Magic, causing him to slide back on his feet again. Using the back of his hand to wipe away some sweat from his forehead, his eyes narrowed as the Ice-Wizard held his gaze.

"I can't exactly say that I understand why you would want to revive Deliora, but more than that I don't see why you've targeted Lucy. She has nothing to do with any of this, so it doesn't make sense that you've gone through so much trouble to try and fight her."

Lyon smirked, his eyes darkening as he recalled the past. "My only dream has been that one day I would be able to surpass my master, Ur. She always told me that there were other wizards in the world that were far stronger than she could ever be, and I have no doubts that if she were alive today I could beat her easily. But since Ur is dead because she was killed by that vile demon, my only hope at redeeming myself is by reviving Deliora and killing him myself; the one task Ur was never able to complete. That way my dream will finally be complete!"

"That still doesn't explain your reasoning for targeting Lucy."

At this, the Ice Wizards smirk turned cocky. "It's my understanding that not only is she a strong wizard on her own, but a well known one at that. Defeating her in battle will only help boost my name, making the world always remember the Cold Emperor, Lyon; the untouchable wizard!"

Natsu's hands clenched into tight fists; lighting up with his signature flames out of anger. "That's what this is about? You'd threaten one of my friends just so you could boost your stupid ego?"

"I'd hardly go as far as to say it's stupid, especially when you're about to fall by my hand!"

Lyon paused just as he went to activate his magic when the wall next to him suddenly started to crack, before shattering into millions of tiny pieces, revealing that that Gray was on the other side. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let that happen."

"Gray?! What the hell, man? You can't just step in here like that! You're interrupting our battle!" Natsu yelled.

"I know that I lost to him once, but I promise you that it won't happen again. This is just something I have to do, and there's nothing that you can do to stop me."

Gray's heart ached when he looked at his 'brother'. Lyon's eyes shone with a darkness Fairy Tail's Ice Wizard was more than just familiar with. It was the same madness that consumed him as a child when all he was devoted to doing was killing Deliora, getting his revenge. If Gray wasn't careful, history was going to repeat itself with Lyon standing in his place. No matter the cost he would stop him, and continue looking to the future; just like Ur had said before her death. Gray was going to save his 'brother' from his darkness, even if that meant he had to take his mentor's place.

Lyon's eyes widened as the wizard took a familiar stance, his legs spread out at shoulder length while his arms formed an 'X' shape in front of him. "Iced Shell? There's no way you're being serious, Gray. Did you honestly think I would fall for such an obvious bluff?"

Gray didn't falter. His magic continued to blast out around him, causing an eerie white light to surround his body. "I'm not bluffing. You've hurt plenty of my comrades and innocent people, and for that, I would willingly give my life to stop you. Turn the villagers back to normal and I won't seal you away forever. Or don't, and we'll both face the punishment of killing Ur _together_."

"You're joking! You know that you'll die if you cast that spell! There's no way you'd do something so stupid!"

Gray shook his head. "Both of us bear our own share of sins and one way or another we're going to have to repent! My whole life I've denied the fact that Ur's death was my fault, but it was, and now I'm willing to accept that! But it's time you accept the truth too because we've always been in this together!"

Lyon stumbled backward, uncertainty clouding his judgment as Gray's magic continued to flare out around him. "T-there's no way! You're too much of a coward to die! Stop lying to me!"

 **"Gray! Don't do it!"** Natsu yelled as his rivals spell continued to push him back; noticing that he wasn't showing any signs of willingly coming to a stop.

The Ice Wizard frowned but was set on his decision without any doubts. Nothing was going to stop him from doing what was right, even if that meant one of his close friends would resent him for it.

"I'm sorry Natsu, but this is what needs to be done. Tell everyone in Fairy Tail that I love them, and thank Master Makarov for taking me in when I was young. I'll leave the job of dealing with Deliora to you, Erza, and Lucy. I trust you three the most, and I know that together you guys can't be stopped."

Natsu continued to press forward. "I said to stop! You can't do this!"

 _"I'm sorry, but this is the end."_

* * *

As Lucy continued to fight alongside her sister, Erza, she couldn't help but glance back at the Temple behind her. A feeling of uncertainty churned deep in her gut, and she couldn't help but worry about Natsu and Gray's safety.

"Do you think that they're OK in there?" The blonde questioned as she dodged one of the blades.

Erza was confused by the question. "What? Of course, it's Natsu and Gray you're talking about. Why do you ask?"

"It's not Natsu I'm that I'm worried about. Nothing can take that idiot down," She paused as she used her whip to yank somebody away from the scarlet haired woman, "It's Gray. You don't think he would use Iced Shell to stop Lyon, do you?"

"I don't know," Titania confessed, "I don't see why Gray would do something like that if he knew what the cost of the spell was. Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. Something just doesn't feel right."

Erza elbowed one of her attackers back before spinning around to kick another in the chest. "Well, if Gray ever did decide to do something as stupid as that, I'm sure that Natsu go to any extent to make sure he didn't cast the spell. They may be rivals but deep down inside they do care about one another."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. That does sound like something Natsu would do."

For a minute, Lucy and Erza continued to fight side by side without saying another word. That is until the blonde suddenly spoke up again; uttering a few words that truly made Titania's heart warm.

"Hey, Erza? Thanks for always being there for me."

She smiled. "Always."

* * *

 **A/N: Guys I'm so freaking ready to get to the Tower of Heaven and Phantom Lord Arcs because I have such a good idea in mind, and I really think you guys are going to like it! While I really want to go ahead and finish up this story arc, I don't want to rush anything. However, if you feel like some of these chapters have seemed off then I apologize. While I liked the Galuna Island Arc, it wasn't really one of my favorites, but I'm really trying my best to keep things interesting.**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**


	17. Chapter 17

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _PROFANITY WARNING!_**

 _Sorry that I didn't really update this week. I think I'm getting a cold, or something, and my first day of school is tomorrow. I cut some of the battles in this episode short because I felt like some scenes were unnecessary to write, but everything that happened is covered._

 _As always, hope you guys enjoy this chapter._

* * *

\- Galuna Island : Inside the Temple of Moon -

Gray felt a surge of guilt swell inside of his heart as his magic continued to flare out around him, his brain going over the long list of friends he was about to loose. After casting the Iced Shell he wouldn't be able to see anybody from the guild ever again, and he would have no choice but to leave his entire family behind. Old friends like Cana and Erza who he'd known since first joining Fairy Tail, and new comrades like Lucy who he had made a few fond memories with, all flashed inside his head as his body got prepared to be forever turned into ice.

It hurt just to even think about leaving the guild behind, the place that had easily become his home, but for his mentor and the sake of keeping Lyon alive, Gray knew he had to make a big sacrifice to keep everyone safe from Deliora. It was a tragedy in itself that one of those sacrifices permanently meant saying goodbye to all of his friends, just like Ur was forced to do when he was still a child, but Fairy Tail's Ice Mage also understood that this was the only way to finally make sure Deliora's cycle of destruction could finally come to a complete stop.

 _"I'm sorry, but this is the end."_

Feeling the last bit of magic energy needed to cast the _Iced Shell_ swell up outside of his body, Gray closed his eyes and prepared himself for his last breath. Memories of being in the guild all played inside his head as his life literally flashed before his eyes, and a small wave of relief washed over his body when he considered all the grief he was going to save people in the long run. At least this way nobody would ever be hurt by Deliora again. Gray was fully content with dying for this cause.

This was the end.

 _"Iced Sh-"_

 ** _"-Shut the hell up you wannabe drama queen!"_**

Gray's eyes shot open in shock when Natsu suddenly socked him in the face with a rough, hard swipe that sent him spiraling into the ground, causing all the magic energy he gathered to cast the Iced Shell to shrink back into his body. Furiously, the pink-haired Dragon Slayer glared at his rival and growled in frustration at the swarm of emotions that plagued his mind.

"Listen here you no good, slanty eyed bastard," Natsu yelled, "Don't think that just because you burst in here, spewing out all these fancy words, talking about things nobody knows about, that you automatically have the right to jump in line! You already lost to this _Ice Queen_ once, which makes it my turn to fight him! _I was here first_ so why don't you just sit over there and wait your turn!"

Gray's eye twitched as he jumped up from the ground, and he angrily grabbed a handful of the other boy's scarf. "I thought I specifically told you that I could handle him, _idiot fire freak!_ That means back the hell off and let me deal with him!"

"So what? Yeah, you _did_ say all of that, but did you ever hear me agree to it? Did you ever once hear me say, 'Oh yeah, go right ahead Gray'? No, you didn't! Like I said before: go to the back of the line and wait your turn! I have my own score to settle with this guy for threatening Lucy and hurting the villagers!" Natsu scoffed.

Gray growled under his breath. Of course, things had to turn out this way! Natsu never knew when he was supposed to back off, and in any other situation the Ice Mage would've knocked him out. Why couldn't his rival realize that this was something he just **had** to do?

"Do you really think that I care about whether or not you agreed with me?! This is something that's way bigger than you _and_ the guild! I made a promise to my mentor that I will keep, no matter the cost!" He yelled as he gripped Natsu's scarf harder. " _I'm willing to die to make sure Deliora isn't revived; to make sure Ur's sacrifice wasn't in vain!_ If that means that I have to fight you first then I'm more than willing to take things that far."

Natsu hissed, and without really thinking about it, grabbed his arm. "So that's it then? You're willing to give up your life at the drop of a hat, just like that? After everything, you've been through?! Huh?! _Do you really think that this is what your mentor wanted for you?! To follow in the same footsteps that she did?!_ " He demanded with a nasty glare. "Even that idiot Cold Emperor guy was right about you! You're acting like a coward and running away from the real problem here instead of dealing with it yourself! _Why don't you be a man for once?!"_

* * *

When Gray opened his mouth to respond to his rival's claims, he and the other two wizards stumbled in different directions as the Temple suddenly started to shake again. Since the entire room was encased in a thick layer of ice, courtesy of Lyon's Maker Magic, no debris could fall from the ceiling and hit anybody this time. Though, it's not like any of the three wizards were concerned with the lack of rubbish, rather, they were wondering why the building was moving again in the first place.

Unbest to them at the time, Zalty was outside at the base of the building, where Natsu had done the majority of the damage to the building and was using his unique Lost Magic to rebuild the pillars that held the structure together. After a moment of consideration, Lyon almost realized this right away, and couldn't hold back a proud smirk.

"Don't think that you've won just because you took out Yuka and Sherry. Let's not forget that I have an ace of my very own up my sleeve." The Cold Emperor exclaimed condescendingly. "I have no doubt in my mind that he's the cause of this unexpected change in my favor."

Natsu and Gray jumped in surprise when Zalty's voice rang out from the hallway. "Oh, Cold Emperor you flatter me!" He teasingly cried as he revealed himself, seemingly coming out from nowhere. "But yes, I'm afraid I must take credit for the Temple's sudden shift; this time, that is. I knew that the moon would be coming out soon, and figured that I'd let the Faries have enough time thinking that they had the upper hand. Now that the Temple is standing in it's intended position the Moon Drip from the ceremony will hit Deliora straight on, and his revival will be resumed. As predicted I believe the ice will be completely melted by sometime later tonight. Though, I suppose I should start the ceremony soon if we want to stay on top of the game."

Wide-eyed, the Fire Dragon Slayer pointed at the mask-wearing wizard accusingly. "Hey! How did you manage to fix the Temple so easily? Do you even know how much magic energy it took to destroy in the first place?" Natsu demanded.

Zalty snickered and spun on his heel, flat out ignoring the pink-haired wizard's question as he scurried out of the room; his sick laughter bouncing off the walls as he ran. Natsu's animal instincts told him to chase after him, and as he ran toward the hole in the wall that Gray made, he glanced over his shoulder at said Ice Mage.

"I'll make sure the Moon Drip doesn't hit Deliora, so I'll leave you to deal with this Ice Queen and do you a solid just this once! But no matter what happens you can't forget about the friends that got you here in the present, and the life waiting for you in the future. You can't rewrite the past, and yeah, I agree with you, that really sucks. But this isn't something that's worth giving your whole life up for, because if it was your mentor wouldn't have done it for you already. She cast that spell to save you, don't forget about that. Otherwise, her sacrifice would've been completely meaningless."

As the pink-haired Slayer ran off in the same direction as Zalty, Lyon watched him with a critical eye. "He seems to act like an idiot, but I guess somewhere deep underneath all that ignorance there's some form of intelligence."

"No, he's an idiot most of the time, but I think I get what he's saying. Natsu is right, though, Ur cast the Iced Shell so that she could save the both of us." Gray responded as he looked at his 'brother' seriously. "Listen to me Lyon, there's something about Ur that you need to know that I never had the chance to tell you about."

* * *

Lyon's eyes narrowed despite his nonchalant, chill expression. "And what, I'm just supposed to stand here and listen to you? I've already proven to everyone here that I can easily beat you with my superior Maker Magic, and your only trump card, the _Iced Shell_ , is completely useless here so long as the Moon Drip Ceremony is able to commence, so what good reason do you have that would make me want to hear anything you have say? You're the reason Ur is dead, what more is there to it that I need to know?"

"But that's just the thing," Gray clenched his fists, "Ur _isn't_ dead, she's actually still alive! You didn't know this at the time, but when somebody casts the Iced Shell their body is turned into the ice used in the spell, and that's exactly what Ur did to seal Deliora away. What you've been doing, melting the ice with Moon Drip... You've been destroying all the remains of our master's life! I would have told you the truth all those years ago, but she swore me to secrecy because she knew you'd spend the rest of your life trying to reverse the spell. So there's no need for you to continue on with these ridiculous plans of reviving Deliora! We can finally leave the past behind!"

Gray imagined that Lyon would accept the truth behind Ur's 'death' without a second thought, and forget all of his plans of ever wanting to revive the destructive demon. He thought that his old friend would loose any remains of the all-consuming darkness that moved him toward Deliora's revival in the first place, and to start working toward bigger and better things in life. He had all of these great expectations for the person he considered to be his brother, which is why Lyon's real reaction came as such a shock to him when it happened.

The white-haired wizard shot forward at the end of his explanation and used his Maker Magic to force and ice creation straight through Gray's chest. Without remorse, he let the Fairy fall to the ground and looked down at him in disappointment.

"Who you think I am, Gray? Of course, I know how the Iced Shell works; I've been studying it for years. However, you're more pathetic than I thought if you really believed that, that giant chunk of ice was still our master. That would be completely _impossible_."

Shakily, Gray pulled himself back up to his feet, feeling rage bubble up in his chest. "All this time you knew what Ur did; knew what she gave her life away to do, and you still continued to use the Moon Drip to melt the ice away from Deliora?!"

"But of course! All I care about is finally surpassing Ur. This time, there's nothing you can do to stop-!"

Gray threw his fist forward, putting all of his anger and pain into one single attack, that hit Lyon so hard on the side of the face that he was sent flying across the room and into the wall. This wasn't how things were supposed to be, not by a long shot. Somehow something took a tragic turn for the worst, and now everything else was going to be doomed.

This is not what he thought was going to happen.

"I'll agree that up until this point I've been nothing more than a coward. Even now, I've been avoiding fighting with you for that sole reason. But I think I've wasted enough time trying to get you to change your mind. It's pretty obvious to me now that you're beyond reasoning. For Ur, I'll end this here and now. I won't let you destroy her legacy!"

* * *

\- Meanwhile, with Erza and Lucy -

Out of breath, Lucy grunted as she rolled to the left after narrowly avoiding one of the robed-attackers oddly shaped blades. Her foot quickly shot out to swipe the legs out from under her enemies as she took advantage of the low position, and she couldn't help but smirk at the sound of all of her friends fighting around her. Saiya and Happy flew by in a multi-colored blur, assisting in the battle by using anything they could find on the ground as a weapon, and used it to hit the mystery people in the backs of their heads. Erza, on the other hand, cut several of the robed bodies down with the two twin swords clutched tightly in each of her hands, and executed each attack with a swift ease.

The only problem, though, was that the swarm of attackers didn't seem to be coming anywhere close to an end, and it was starting to put the Faries in a touch position the longer they spent their magic energy and physical strength.

At this rate, they were never going to get anywhere.

In the midst of battle, Saiya's heart stopped dead in her chest as she noticed something troubling from the corner of her eyes. Without really thinking, she cried out: "H-hey! Look over there! The Temple is standing upright again!"

Happy, who was easily distracted at times, whipped around to see what all the trouble was about right away.

"Oh no! Now the moonlight will hit Deliora again and the ice will start to melt! What're we gonna do?" He gasped.

Growling, Lucy used her whip to yank somebody away from her scarlet haired friend before providing the two exceeds with some cover. "There's nothing that we can do about it right now. We have our own problems to deal with at the moment, so I'm not all that concerned with what's happening back at the Temple. Focus on what's going on right in front of you, and after we're done then we'll figure out what our next plan of action is."

 _"But it's almost sundown!"_

 _"Yeah, the moon's gonna be coming out soon!"_

Erza used her swords to knock a group of people out while she simultaneously nodded her head in agreement with her blonde friend. "She's right, you two. Natsu and Gray are depending on us to take care of all of these people, which means that we have to put out faith in them and trust that they'll come up with a solution themselves. What we can do right now, though, is stop playing around and get serious for once. I think we've wasted enough time getting ourselves warmed up, wouldn't you agree, Lucy?"

The Stellar Spirit Mage cracked a grin as she slid back on the tips of her toes, and she cracked her knuckles as she stood back up. "Are you sure that you're not a mind reader, Erza? Today you've been taking the words right out of my mouth. Let's do this!"

With a proud smirk, Lucy moved to grab at her Gold Gate Keys and brushed her fingers over where Cancers sat. In any normal situation, she would have summoned him without a second thought. He was the perfect Celestial Spirit to take out a large group of people without causing too much damage around him _(most of the time)_ , but an odd sensation settled in her gut when she touched his key. For some reason, the weirdest premonition occurred inside of her brain, of Cancer bowing down to Erza while offering her a bouquet of red roses that matched the color of her hair, and after that, she felt herself leaning more toward a Spirit of a different kind.

"This better not backfire on me," Lucy muttered under her breath as she yanked a blue and white Gate Key off her belt before swiping it through the air. "You three better watch out! _Open, Gate of The Ice Dragon!_ "

For a second nothing happened which caused some of the robed-attackers to snicker in amusement. None of white and gold light that usually happened when summoning a Celestial Spirit occurred when Lucy tried to call out the Dragon, and the blonde scowled when she realized this. But then, almost immediately after she started to doubt calling on this Spirit in the first place, it felt like a surge of electricity shot through her right arm and the unique Gate Key started to glow.

Gasping, the Stellar Spirit Mage dropped to her knees as the Ice Dragon tore through his gate, and her vision significantly blurred as soon as a pair of feet landed directly in front of her. Shakily, she lifted her head to try and see who was standing just a few feet away from her, only to look around in confusion when she noticed practically everything was frozen.

All of the attackers, who were still alive and breathing, were encased completely in a thick block of ice, while Lucy and three other comrades were (surprisingly) untouched.

 ** _"So you're the little brat who brought me back into the Spirit World. I should've known that you were somehow involved with Draco. Only somebody raised by him would do something so stupid. Now, give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you on the spot."_**

* * *

\- Back with Gray and Lyon -

Gray squinted at Lyon as he wiped a string of blood away from his mouth with the back of his hand. His stomach hurt from being hit so many times, along with the majority of the rest of his body, and tiny ice crystals clung to his skin as a result of facing the Cold Emperors terrifying Maker Magic.

"No matter what you throw at me," Gray panted as he widened his stance, "No matter what you throw at me, I won't loose! Not when so many of my friends are depending on me! Not when Ur sacrificed her life for us!"

Lyon scoffed and threw his heavy, white coat to the ground. "Please, this battle was over before it could even start. We both know I'm physically stronger than you are, and your Maker Magic is practically useless compared to mine, so what in the world would ever make you think that you even have a chance at winning? Nobody's going to stop me now that I have Deliora in my clutches! Not you, not your stupid pink-haired friend, and not even that girl he seems so infatuated with! _Nothing will keep me from achieving my dream!_ "

"I won't let you do it! No matter what it takes, I won't let anyone make Ur's sacrifice meaningless! _Nothing will stop me from making sure Deliora isn't revived_!"

What did he know of his suffering? What gave Gray the right to act like his beliefs were more important than Lyon's? For ten whole years, he built on his plan of ensuring that Deliora was revived while Gray wasted his time, fooling around with some wizards from the western part of the world. Lyon had struggled and fought to make sure his dream would someday come true, and now his 'brother' had waltzed in and acted like that dream was worthless; like he _hadn't_ spent ten years of his life working toward the revenge so many people wanted -the revenge that Gray himself wanted some years ago! What gave him such a right?!

"How dare you speak to me like this?! What do you know anyway?! You're just some foolish little boy who wastes his time fooling around with some stupid guild!"

Gray narrowed his eyes at his old friend. Lyon wasn't fooling him.

"What is this really about, huh?! Are you mad that I worked toward a better life? That I actually listened to Ur's advice? You need to open your eyes and look at what's standing in front of you right now! You need to see the life Ur wanted for you, not some illusion that you've so foolishly thought up!"

The Cold Emperor screamed causing his magic to flare out around him. Nothing had ever made him angrier than his old friend's know-it-all attitude. "Killing Deliora has been my destiny since the day I was born! My suffering has given me strength; it is this hatred for you and that vile demon that fuels my dreams on! But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?! Because you left me behind, just like Ur did! Both of you abandoned me!"

Gray lunged to the left as Lyon conjured up a flurry of ice arrows and narrowly avoided being hit by using his Maker Magic to form a shield of ice. "I didn't leave you behind, and it's time that you see that! You were afraid of living a life without Ur, and you took that fear and used it to fuel your revenge for Deliora! But deep down you know that what you're doing is wrong, and if that means that you have to hate me for the rest of your life for stopping you, then so be it!"

"If anyone is living in an illusion it's you! I will surpass our master, Ur!"

Gray shook his head. How could his 'brother' still not get it?

"I know that this isn't the life Ur wanted you to live. She didn't want me to tell you the truth behind the repercussions of casting the Iced Shell because she was worried you would devote the rest of your life to trying to find a way to undo the spell, yet you did it anyway without knowing the truth at the beginning of your journey," Fairy Tail's Ice Mage said as he dodged another one of Lyon's ice creations, "You were sad because when you woke up on that day, ten years ago, Ur wasn't there to say 'hello' anymore. You lost someone special to you, so it's reasonable for you to mourn our mentor's sacrifice, but you're going about this all wrong. This has nothing to do with surpassing Ur anymore, yet you're so blinded by the path of revenge that you can't even see the life standing right in front of you!"

Lyon snarled. "What in god's name are you talking about?! Killing Deliora is the only life I was ever meant to live!"

"You have all of these friends around you who are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy. Yuka, Sherry, and Toby are all of your closest companions! What do you think that they would do if you suddenly died, huh? Why are you allowed to so blatantly reject the life that they're trying to give you?"

"Those fools aren't my friends! I have no need for something so useless! Insignificant bonds mean nothing in the eyes of true strength!"

Gray sighed and smashed his fist into the palm of his hand. "All of my friends in Fairy Tail give me the strength to stand and fight each and every day. Erza, Natsu, and Lucy are the only reason that I'm able to stand here and face you. I can't betray their trust like that. They're putting their faith in me, and someday you'll be able to see that the friends that stand next to you are where real strength comes from! And until that day comes, you will never be strong enough to surpass Ur!"

* * *

 **A/N: Just one more chapter until we're finished with the Galuna Island Arc guys! I'm so excited! For the sake of not jumping around for the entire chapter, I didn't cover the Natsu v.s. Zalty battle in this chapter, but I plan on putting it into the next update (which will be the last one for this story arc).**

 **Again, I'm really sorry if this story arc has been kinda bland, but I promise that the next one will be so much better.**

 **I'll never be able to stress how much I appreciate the support you guys give me, so really, thank you guys so much!**

 **My first day of school is tomorrow, which also means my Marching Band practices are back and running. Updates will probably be slow Tuesdays,Wednesdays, and Thursdays since I have practice then, but whenever I have time I promise I'll try and update!**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**


	18. Chapter 18

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _PROFANITY WARNING!_**

 _Originally, this was supposed to be the last update of the Galuna Island Arc, but my power keeps cutting out and I'm not sure when I will have time to update again. This means that the next time I'm free to write, I'm either going to double up two episodes into one chapter or write two_ separate _updates (one of which will be kinda short)._

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

\- Near The Temple of Moon-

 _ **"I don't have time for any of this!"**_

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Lucy abruptly shot forward, an undeniable rage lighting up her brown and gold-speckled eyes as she winded her fist back. Happy and Saiya gasped as her hand cracked across the (human-formed) Ice Dragon's face, sending him spiraling into the ground with a painful thud that caused even Erza to flinch. Lucy jabbed an accusing finger into the Spirit's chest, paying no mind to the red liquid that was rapidly streaming out of the man's nose, and growled lowly from deep in her throat.

Grabbing a handful of his shirt, Lucy clenched her teeth as she yanked his face close enough to hers that their noses almost touched. Her inner wrath bubbled up such a dangerous storm in the center of her chest that it almost made her feel sick.

"I'm not so sure what game you think it is that you're playing at, but I have a lot better things to be worrying about than your stupid, empty threats." The Stellar Spirit Mage said as her eyes narrowed into a nasty glare. "Right now, for all I know, two of my friends could quite possibly be _dying_ while I'm just standing here, wasting my time listening to a stranger who's trying to demand stupid, meaningless explanations! So please, spare me your shitty, over-dramatic monolog and get the hell out of my face!"

As the feisty blonde glowered at him, the Ice Dragon unintentionally chuckled under his breath, thinking to himself how much she resembled the multi-colored dragon he once knew from centuries in the past. Without truly realizing it, an amused smirk tugged up the corners of his lips as he pulled himself up from the ground, and he snorted under his breath as Lucy's eyes flashed in anger again.

Inadvertently, she had caused him to reminisce about the days he had spent with the Grand Celestial Dragon, Draco. It was a long time ago that he had met the Great Star Dragon, but he was a being that was terribly difficult to forget. Memories that had been locked away long after being banished from the Celestial Spirit World emerged within seconds and he didn't know whether he should feel grateful or cursed.

"Yeah, you're definitely his kid alright," The Ice Dragon responded with a small sigh, " _For now_ that's reason enough for me not to kill you. I owe your idiot of a father a favor anyway, so the next time you see him let him know that this rare act of kindness finally wipes our slate clean. It won't be happening again anytime soon."

Thrown off by the sudden change in personality, Lucy's expression faltered.

 _"...What?"_

The Ice Dragon huffed, and he rolled his eyes dramatically at the girl's confusion. Voice a mixture of amusement and annoyance, he eyed the blonde critically and said: "Don't let it get to your head kid; I still don't like you. However, I'm sure that if I really did try and kill you, Draco would crawl out of whatever hole he's hiding in and stop me before I even had the chance to finish. I know for a fact that you're not worth all that effort."

"That's funny!" Lucy hissed. "I was going to say the same thing to you! I'm starting to realize that you're not worth all the effort it took to bring you back into the Celestial Spirit World!"

Waving off the girl's snarky response as if it had never happened in the first place, the Ice Dragon continued: "Besides, I know for a fact that Deliora would be a real pain in the ass if he started destroying things again, and that's a headache I'd rather avoid getting. I'll just go ahead and leave you and your little human friends to do all the work instead." With a slight smirk, the Spirit added, _"Who knows, maybe if you impress me enough I'll tell you why you have such difficulty facing earth mages. After all, I'm the last person Draco spoke to before he and everyone else suddenly disappeared."_

For a moment, Lucy's heart jumped in her chest and all traces of her previous anger disappeared. She squinted at the man as his words echoed throughout her head -the bitter edge to his voice portraying just how lonely he truly felt despite the brave front he always put up.

Knowing from experience that some things were best left unsaid, the blonde held her tongue and turned to face her other three companions; finally letting go of all of her anger. So many questions wanted to force their way out her mouth, ranging from "what did he say to you" and "do you have any idea where Draco is", yet she knew this wasn't the appropriate time to ask. Not when Lucy was positive that the Ice Dragon wouldn't answer her questions, nor when the sun was close to setting, and definitely not when two of her other friends could be in grave danger.

She would listen to the very words she had said: 'there are bigger and better things going on right now' than worrying about where her Dragon is. Draco's secret location could wait.

"Well? What are we waiting for then? You heard the man."

Lucy's declaration caused Saiya's eyes to widen, and the silver exceed flew toward her owner out of surprise. "You're just going to leave things like at that? Even though you know that he knows something about Draco? What if he know's where he is? You're willing to risk losing this once in a lifetime chance?"

Lucy smirked slightly as she tilted her head to look at the few stars that had emerged in the ever-growing night sky. "What I've learned over the past few years of looking for him, Saiya, is that there's _never_ just a 'once in a lifetime chance'. New, better opportunities will come and go with time. And do you honestly think that finding Draco would be as easy as just speaking to one person? If it was, I'm almost positive that we would've found him by now if that were the case."

Hesitantly, the silver cat pondered over her next words. Her friend had never done her wrong before, and she doubted she would start now.

"Alright," She nodded her head, "Only if you're sure."

"I'm positive. My gut is telling us that we need to go help Natsu and Gray. We can deal with our own problems later; this is more important."

As the blonde turned to face the Temple of Moon she adjusted her cloak so it covered her body better. Yet again, Erza was reminded of how much her old friend had grown since they were kids, and her heart warmed at the fact that Lucy had been able to come across such genuine friends. Had they been there several years before, presented with the same difficult decision, the blonde wouldn't have hesitated to find out any leads on where her dragon was; even if that meant putting other people in danger for her own gain. Now, though, she had actually taken her companions safety into consideration, and Erza couldn't help but internally thank her other two friends for helping Lucy become a better person.

She couldn't help but wonder, though, what else had changed?

* * *

Lucy, Erza, and the silver and blue exceeds frantically ran through the forest as they advanced upon the Temple of Moon. Sprinting up several flights of stairs just to get to the first level of the old structure, they raced to beat the rising moon and ever growing midnight black sky.

Unbest to them at the time, Gray was further up, on a different level of the Temple, fighting Lyon with all of his strength; all hopes of convincing him through words abandoned upon finding out that the white haired boy wouldn't budge by something so simple. Equally, violent blows were given by both parties, each fueled by different desires of revenge and the ambition of protecting a mentor's dream. Identical forms of magic were thrown into the mix, Static battling Active Ice in a fight for the right of being called the strongest form of magic.

At the same time, way beneath the Temple where Deliora's frozen body resided, Natsu was fighting a short man who oddly reeked of women's perfume; slow mind working to dissect words spoken with a sharp tongue, riddled with tricks and underlying meanings. Somehow, someone at the very peak of the building was conducting the Moon Drip Ceremony, slowly melting the ice surrounding the demon's giant form; causing the entire Temple to tremble and shake, while the remaining four Fairy Tail Wizards stood at the first level of the Temple, trying to figure out what they were supposed to do.

Titania's brain worked in overdrive to come up with some sort of plan, her S-Class experience enabling her to work easily under such pressure as time started to run out.

"Lucy, do you think that there's any way you could try and slow the ice from melting around Deliora's body?" Erza suddenly questioned, causing the blonde and two exceeds to look at her in confusion.

Unsure, the Stellar Spirit Mage rubbed the back of her neck; nose scrunched up in thought. "I mean, I don't really know, to be honest... I could try and absorb some of the Moon Drip, or maybe figure out a way to deflect the light from hitting it. But that's the best I can do... Why?"

"I'm worried that if we both try and get to the top of the Temple, where the ceremonies happening, that we'll be too late and the ice will melt before we can stop Deliora's revival from happening. I think that the only way we'll even have a chance at stopping it is if we can prevent the light from hitting him, even if it's just for a minute."

Lucy nodded her head in understanding, easily mirroring the red-haired woman's concerns. "Let's do it then. I'll make sure that I do whatever I can to stop the Moon Drip from hitting Deliora while you go and try to stop the ceremony from finishing. The light feels weaker this time, from what I can tell, so I don't think there's a lot of people up there, which works out in our favor. The ice will melt slower and give me a chance to figure out how to slow the process down even more while you do whatever you can to stop the ceremony from finishing."

Completely confident with their new plan, Lucy moved to take a step toward the opening to the very bottom of the Temple, only to suddenly grabbed by her red-haired friend; held back by her wrist.

"Be smart about this, Lucy. I know that you want to help these people, but don't do anything stupid. If Deliora does end up getting revived you have to make sure you get out of there right away. You're strong, we all know that, but this is a battle you absolutely cannot be involved in. _Promise me_."

Erza's expression faltered as the girl reached out and gently flicked her nose, a genuine smile tugging up the corners of her lips. Her eyes shone without fear as if she wasn't about to go fight one of the most terrifying demons in the world and Titania wasn't sure if that made her feel more relieved or worried.

"I'll come back. So stop worrying about me and hurry up and do your job. We're counting on you too, you know."

Despite how serious the situation was, Erza couldn't help but crack a grin as she lightly punched at the blonde's arm. "I'm being serious here. Be careful."

Lucy smirked and Saiya hooked onto her shoulders, an identically determined glint to both of their eyes.

"When am I not?"

 _-Was that even a question worth answering?_

* * *

\- Meanwhile : Beneath the Temple -

Natsu rubbed at his nose, the irritating scent of women's perfume causing it to burn uncomfortably as it came toward him in waves. He growled lowly as Zalty continued to smirk at him, his nasty snickering piercing his ears so badly that it started to make his head hurt. After chasing the mask-wearing wizard for what felt like an eternity, screaming questions from the top of his lungs while running all around the Temple, he finally settled on the ground right in front of Deliora's frozen body.

Zalty, who was standing higher up on a structure of rocks, smirked as he looked down at Natsu's peevish form. A snigger threatened to tear through his lips as he saw the annoyed glint to his eyes, body shuddering with glee at being able to bother somebody so easily. The pink-haired boy only seemed to glare harder as he felt the extra pair of eyes on him, but it didn't do anything to deter the masked man's amusement -if anything, it only seemed to spur it on.

Snarkily he exclaimed: "I'm quite surprised that you were able to find me, all things considered. I can't say that I hate the company, though. It'll be nice to have an audience here for the grand finale, even if it is just an airheaded idiot with a small lucky streak."

Natsu hissed; his tongue clicking loudly against the back of his teeth. "I'm normally not one to judge so quickly, but maybe you should ask Lucy or Erza what type of perfume they wear after I'm done kicking your ass. Yours reeks."

Zalty scoffed. "Perfume? Don't tell me that you're not only stupid but blind too? Can't you see that I am, in fact, a man?"

"Well, how else do you think I found you? It's as if you used an entire bottle! Boy or not, _you still smell bad._"

Natsu stumbled slightly as the Temple suddenly started to shake again, and his eyes widened as he noticed the steady pool of water that started to gather around his feet. Looking up, he saw that the eerie purple light from the Moon Drip Ceremony had started making the ice melt, leaving Deliora's giant head to stick out in the open; completely uncovered.

And it didn't take a genius to put two and two together to realize that it wouldn't take the rest of his body that long to melt either.

When Natsu moved to take a step toward the exit of the cave, however, Zalty seemed to have other plans in mind and used a strange silver orb to hit him in the face. The pink-haired Slayer roughly hit the ground and had his hands not barely shot out when they did he would have completely smashed his face, causing the mask-wearing wizard to laugh hysterically.

"Sorry," Zalty sneered, "but I'm afraid I can't let you leave just yet. Not when we have a whole show left to finish! You can't leave before the best part has even happened!"

Groaning, the Fire Dragon Slayer sluggishly pulled himself up from the ground and glowered at Zalty through his pain. A welt had already started to form on the side of his face where the glass orb had hit him, and he wouldn't be surprised if that whole side of his head got swollen considering how hard he had been hit. When the orb rounded a path back toward him again, though, Natsu lit his hand up with a _Fire Dragon Iron Fist_ and smashed it into a thousand tiny pieces.

Waving his finger at the Fairy Tail Wizard disappointedly, Zalty sang: "Now that wasn't a very nice thing of you to do!"

And somehow, within the blink of an eye, the orb managed to rebuild itself again.

* * *

Panting, Natsu wiped a bead of sweat away from his forehead as he narrowly avoided Zalty's white orb again. He had long since lost count of how many times he'd destroyed the ball as well as how many times he had equally been hit by it, and he would be lying if he didn't say that he was growing tired of the redundant process.

Zalty's magic was a difficult one, and the Fire Dragon Slayer struggled to get around the vast potential Arc of Time possessed. Unlike his battle with Yuka, raw strength didn't guarantee immediate success. Destroying the orb wouldn't do anything, seeing as it's owner could just force it back into its 'past' form -where it was whole, and dodging didn't help either when Zalty could drive it into its future form, causing it to move twice as fast. What was possibly even worse was the fact that if Natsu did manage to almost land a crushing blow to the orb, and possibly turn things to his favor, Zalty would freeze its time and make it stop moving so that his counterattack never even followed through.

So, as he stood alone, body painted with welts and bruises, with Deliora literally coming to life behind him, Natsu Dragneel couldn't help but ask for a sign. What was he supposed to do in such a terribly difficult situation?

"Stand up and show em' what it means to be a Dragon Slayer!"

Wide-eyed, the pink-haired boy gaped as a familiar blonde landed directly in front of him. Her _Celestial Dragon Wing Attack_ seemed to surprise the mask-wearing mage as well, causing him to pull back his white orb out of curiosity, and she smirked as she glanced over her shoulder at her injured friend.

"That's what I'm assuming you wanted to hear, at least." She laughed. "Though, it's not exactly that hard to tell what you're thinking about either."

"L-Luce!" Natsu gasped, "What're you doing here?! I thought you were with Erza!"

She shrugged her shoulders dismissively, eyes narrowing in on Zalty's tittering form. "We were, but after we reached the Temple we decided to split up so she sent me down here. Erza thinks that I may be able to redirect the light from the Moon Drip off of Deliora's body while she races to the top of the Temple to stop the ceremony."

"Oh?" Zalty giggled. "Aren't you ever so the clever one? And I suppose you think that I'll just stand back and watch all of this happen?"

Lucy sneered, easily matching what could be seen of the masked man's expression. "Not really. I'm more-so betting on Natsu flat out kicking your ass. You're not the only one with a Lost Magic here, you know."

Raw excitement bubbled up in Zalty's chest causing a strong adrenaline to bounce throughout his core, and he struggled not to pounce right at the blonde haired girl. She easily matched his level of intelligence and spoke with a sharp-witted tongue; completely confident with the words she was going to say. _He never expected that the Faries would make things so interesting!_

"So you are familiar with my magic then! I was wondering why you didn't ask about the orb after you destroyed it if I'm being completely honest."

The cave shook again, causing various sized sharp rocks to fall from the ceiling and walls, as the ice around Deliora's body continued to melt. It had only been minutes since the Moon Drip Ceremony commenced and the Iced Shell around the demon's body was already almost halfway gone. Deliora roared, violently thrashing his body around to try and further free himself from the ice only to find that it wouldn't budge. In the meantime, Zalty continued to laugh, growing ever amused with the turn of events that continued happening.

"Lu! We're running out of time! You need to do something about the Moon Drip right now!" Saiya cried.

Frustrated, Lucy growled and glanced at the demon from the corner of her eyes. "I know that, but I'm not even sure what it is that I'm supposed to do!"

"Well that's an easy one," Natsu grinned, "Stand up and show em' what it meant to be a Dragon Slayer, right? You're smart, so I know that when it really matters you'll know what to do."

Zalty sighed and made a gagging sound. "Can't you two be all 'lovey dovey' sometime else? We had a good thing going for us before you suddenly decided to start acting like a couple again. If anything's gross it's your reaction to one another."

" _I'm all fired up now!_ You go ahead and do what you gotta do Luce! I'll take care of this guy!" Natsu roared, his fists lighting up with bright red flames.

Hiding her flushed face, the blonde nodded her head and took off into the air. What was that guy talking about anyway? They were absolutely not acting like a couple!

"R-right." She coughed. "I'll leave him to you, then!"

Zalty scoffed, feeling slightly annoyed by the two Slayers cockiness, and used his magic to lift his orb into the air. "You two just don't know when to quit, do you? Don't tell me that you honestly think that you can beat my Arc of Time Magic? I will make sure that Deliora is revived and become the strongest wizard in the world!"

"Is that what this is all about? Power isn't everything in this world! Innocent people could die because of you!"

"And? The lives of measly peasants mean nothing to me! My power will rival that of a god!"

Natsu growled. "I'll make you regret saying that!"

As this was going on, Lucy flinched as Saiya flew her under the Moon Drips light. She bit her lip as a crushing weight settled on top of her back, forcing her to gasp for a breath of air. As the purple light steadily began to flow into her body, changing its pathway away from Deliora to flow toward her (as if she were a magnet), she started to increasingly feel numb. It didn't take Saiya long to realize that something was wrong, and she almost immediately noticed that her friend was in pain based on how badly she was gritting her teeth.

A pressure started to build up in Lucy's chest as small gold scales started to faintly form on her skin, and a small yelp forced its way out of her mouth when a surge of the Moon Drip jumped into her body. Saiya tugged on her shoulders, silently asking if they needed to leave without alerting anyone else of their problems, only to have the blonde shake her head. She couldn't leave now, not when everybody was counting on her.

Lucy's hands started to shake as the light from the ceremony continued to flow into her, and it didn't take her exceed much longer to suddenly start feeling its effects too. Soon enough, both girls felt dizzy and on the verge of passing out. And when sparks started to form around both of their bodies, well, they knew it couldn't mean anything good.

Meanwhile, Natsu powered through a barrage of orbs with a _Fire Dragon Slayer Roar_ that prevented them from reaching him. Barely dodging a large pile of rocks that fell from the ceiling, he used the smoke from his attack as cover and jumped off the wall to come at Zalty from a different angle. The mask-wearing wizard realized the Slayer's intentions just a second too late, and suffered a sharp flame covered _Fire Dragon Iron Fist_ to the face. The force of the punch shoved him off the throne of rocks he was standing on and had it not been for the steady stream of water that had melted on the ground he surely would have suffered more injuries.

"Yosh! Did you see that Luce?" Natsu cheered; a broad grin plastered across his face.

Except when a large explosion caused his ears to ring, and he watched in slow motion as two bodies were thrown across the room, he suddenly wasn't so happy anymore.

 _"Lucy!"_

* * *

Coughing, the Celestial Dragon Slayer groaned as she pulled herself out of a pile of debris. Saiya was clutched securely against her chest, her cloak haphazardly thrown over her smaller body in order to protect her from the unexpected blast. She winced as she pulled herself up to her feet; muscles aching from a mixture of the rough collision with the ground and the electric surge that occurred just before the explosion happened. Shaking her hair free of any extra dirt, Lucy looked down to check and see how Saiya was doing, and sighed in relief when she found that she was virtually untouched -just out cold.

"Lucy! Hey, are you alright?"

Voice a little bit hoarse, the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage flashed her friend a small grin. "A bit sore here and there, but other than that I'm fine. It looks like I couldn't last long enough for the Ceremony to stop, though." She sighed.

Natsu frowned and shook his head. "You did all you could. But look," He said as he gestured to Deliora's body, "Erza must have made it to the top of the Temple. The light finally disappeared!"

 _"No,"_ Lucy said disappointedly, _"We weren't quick enough."_

A cold blast of wind forced the two Slayers to hide their faces as Deliora threw out his arms, the Iced Shell now turned to water that freely sat around their feet. As his deadly roar ripped through the island, the villagers started to panic, begging their Cheif to run, while Natsu and Lucy clutched onto anything they could hold onto as the sound reverberated deep in their ears. The ground shook and tore as the demon took a step forward, and Lucy cringed as sharp rocks and debris started to fall from all different directions.

Natsu looked over his shoulder in surprise when a familiar scent reached his nose and watched with wide eyes as Gray bent down to run his hands through the melted ice. Deliora continued to rise to a standing position, yet all Gray did was watch with a distant expression as the demon slowly regained all forms of its previous life.

"F-finally!" Lyon hissed. "T-the time for my destiny to be fulfilled has finally come!"

A crazed grin pulled up the corner of the boy's mouth as he shakily pulled himself up to his feet, and Lucy frowned as she watched him struggle to stand upright on his own. He was so blinded by revenge that he couldn't even think rationally; unable to see that he was clearly walking into certain death if he challenged the powerful demon. It was scary to think that in his place could very well have been Gray, had their roles been reversed. What would have happened then?

"N-none of you have the strength... N-neither of you has the same amount of power as me!" He yelled. "S-surpassing Ur and killing Deliora... I-It's my destiny! This is what I was born to do!"

"If all of that really is true, then that just means it's my destiny to stop you."

Lucy turned her gaze down to the ground as Gray knocked his brother out, not wanting to see the expression on his face that surely meant he was saying goodbye. Her vision started to fade in and out, as the strain of being forced through such an exhausting mission finally started to take its toll on her body. She dropped to her knees just as Deliora's eyes started to regain its signature red gleam, forced now only to watch as two of her friends struggled to make the right decision.

As Gray widened his stance, crossing his arms to form an 'x' in front of his chest, Lucy could only do one thing.

 ** _"Now, Natsu!"_**

Gray choked as the Fire Dragon Slayer blatantly stood in front of him; standing directly in the path the Iced Shell would take to re-freeze Deliora's body. He quickly yelled at him to move, explaining that he didn't know what he was doing and that in order to protect everyone in the future this spell had to be cast, yet he wasn't hearing it.

No matter what, he wouldn't budge.

"You got two choices here Ice Princess! Either cancel out the spell or cast the Iced Shell with me standing here. Either way, I'm not moving till this whole thing is over and done with!"

Gray's stomach dropped as Deliora roared once more. His hands began to sweat as Natsu continued to stand strong; showing no signs of ever moving or giving up. The Demon winded his fist back, eyes shining as bright as they could before he threw his arm forward with Natsu still standing in the way.

"Don't do this! You're going to get yourself killed! You can't win!" Gray screamed.

Natsu lit up his fists. "Winning doesn't matter anymore. I only care about protecting my friends."

And then suddenly, Deliora was gone.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, so I just wanted to apologize for not really updating these past few weeks. Between school and Marching Band practices/competitions, I've had absolutely no time to do anything. Luckily, though, I was graced to have this free weekend so I was finally given a chance to write something**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this update and those to come in the following weeks. I'm super excited about finally being able to write for the Phantom Lord Arc because I have some interesting ideas in mind that I hope I can put to use.**

 **Your feedback is always appreciated!**

 ***Obviously I'm trying my best not to make Lucy a giant unbeatable character/ "I-Win" button which is why I wrote things to backfire against her when she re-entered the Moon Drip for the second time. If anyone is confused with why she wasn't able to absorb all of the moon's light, it's because her body couldn't withstand having that much power at once/it was more than she could physically withstand.**

 **Thanks again!**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**

 **p.s. This rain from Hurricane Matthew sucks, and my power keeps cutting out, so if you see any mistakes in this chapter I'm going to come back later and fix them when this storm is done.**


	19. Chapter 19

**_IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!_**

 ** _PROFANITY WARNING!_**

 _Now here's the final update of the Galuna Island Arc_

* * *

\- Beneath the Temple of Moon -

Gray watched with wide eyes as Natsu continued to stand in the path of destruction. Deliora's sinister red eyes gleamed as it winded its arm back, and the demon bared its sharp teeth at the Salamander's form as it let out an excruciatingly loud roar; shaking the entire island.

As the demon threw its arm forward, Natsu concentrated all of his magic into one hand and planted his feet firmly into the ground. Their fists cracked against each other causing an incredible tremor to ricochet throughout the building, further deteriorating it's already broken state, as sharp rocks and other rubble fell from the ceiling. The bright gleam from the Fire Dragon Slayer's flames, shining as brightly as his determination to finish everything in one blow, forced the remaining three wizards to shield their faces, lest they wanted to risk damaging their vision.

When the light finally died down, though, Gray and Lyon watched in complete disbelief as a spiral of cracks rushed up the great demon's arm, before branching off around his entire body. Like glass, Deliora's entire body shattered into a million tiny pieces until nothing was left except a pile of debris to be added to the pool of water that was once Ur.

The Cold Emperor choked as the demon's body finally disappeared. His throat started to constrict as his dream of ten years died before his very eyes, and for a second time, he was forced to watch as his world came crashing down around him. His body began to tremble as he considered all of the sacrifices he was forced to make to ensure Deliora's revival, only to find that the demon was dead, to begin with. How was that any fair? Ten years, ten whole years, of hard work, and for what?

Unable to control the sudden onslaught of emotions, Lyon couldn't stop himself and started to cry. His heartbreaking sobs bounced off the crumbling walls, into the water that led to the vast ocean, almost as if it were accepting his tears with open arms just like his mentor would.

Lyon cried for the time he wasted, for the dream he lost, and most of all, he cried for the woman he'd always dreamed he would surpass; the one who had killed the demon Deliora, even after death.

Natsu, meanwhile, smiled at his black haired friend as he left the Cold Emperor to finally grieve in peace like he should have as a child.

"You should feel really lucky, Gray. Your mentor really was an incredible wizard!"

The raven-haired boy nodded his head, his own eyes starting to burn as Ur's face lit up in the back of his mind.

"Yeah," he choked out, "She really was."

* * *

Lucy sighed in relief when her scarlet-haired friend finally finished poking at her injuries. Aside from a few small cuts and bruises, likely caused from being blown across the room into a sharp wall of rocks, the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage was virtually unscathed. Similarly, Natsu, Gray, and Lyon miraculously gathered little to none visible wounds, and Erza couldn't help but sigh in relief.

If anything, Natsu and Happy (at least) seemed to be better than they had been before, and somehow found the energy to jump and bounce around after everyone finally emerged from the Temple of Moon.

Even Lucy, in her exhausted, beat-up state, couldn't help but crack a grin at how everything had ended.

"I guess things could've been worse," She said with a small grin. "We didn't do too bad for our first S-class Mission, I don't think. Though, there were probably some better choices that all of us could have made in the end."

The Salamander agreed excitedly; his exuberant personality not dimming in the slightest. "Hell yeah! Who knows? Maybe Master Makarov will be so amazed at our success that he'll forget all about punishing us, and reward us instead!"

"That would be the ideal ending." Gray nodded his head.

Unlike the rest of her guildmates, Erza, on the other hand, was not content with everything that had happened, and scoffed loudly causing the temperature to drop at least ten degrees. Her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, and her five companions started to shiver as they realized it was directed at them. Lyon, who was sitting farther back, couldn't help but pale slightly as well, and he inwardly thanked the gods that he wasn't on the receiving end of the woman's sudden fury.

"Have you already forgotten what you came here to do in the first place?" Titania sighed annoyedly. "As far as I remember, stopping Deliora's revival and meeting Lyon had nothing to do with it. Yet, here you are, celebrating as if you've already completed this stolen mission."

Natsu perked up at his friend's statement, and he turned around to look at her directly as he said: "But we defeated Deliora! I thought that meant that all of the villager's problems would be fixed by now."

Erza shook her head. "Right now all of you are assuming that Deliora itself was what caused the villagers to take on these demonized forms when in reality it's not. My best guess would be that because these people have been exposed to the concentrated magic of the Moon Drip Ceremony for so long, it started to cause unearthly changes to their bodies which resulted in these painful transformations when the moon comes out."

"That doesn't make any sense," Lyon surprisingly interjected, "Everyone involved in my project has been exposed to the magic from the Moon Drip Ceremony for at least three years, yet none of us have experienced any changed in our appearance because of it. Neither has your blonde friend, might I add, who has stood directly under its light twice. If what you're saying is true, then all of us would have taken on different forms by now."

Lucy frowned at the turn of events. She agreed with what both Lyon and Erza had said, as both claims made perfect sense, yet still led them to a dead end. If the Moon Drip wasn't causing the villagers to take on demonized forms, and Deliora had nothing to do with it, then what was causing the change to happen in the first place?

"Is it possible that because they're natives of this location, when the Moon Drip was suddenly introduced to their environment, it could have caused an unbalance within the island? After all, they were here before you and your followers came in, yet the change only started to occur after you showed up." The Stellar Spirit Mage sharply pointed out.

Again, Lyon disagreed with what the wizard said. "As I've already mentioned before, I do not think that the Moon Drip has anything to do with it. To even be affected by the concentrated magic from the ceremony, you have to be within a certain distance of it. The village itself is too far away to be in the magics range, and for the three years that we've been here, none of the natives have ever even come close to the Temple." Snarkily, he added as he tossed his head to the left, "Though, I'm sure you guild wizards will figure it out just fine on your own. I've already told you everything I know."

Glancing at each other, Lucy and Erza seemed to be on the same page with one another and silently came to an agreement. The last bit of information needed to piece the puzzle together would have to come from the villagers themselves.

Seizing the Salamander by his signature white scarf, the two female wizards dragged the pink-haired boy off in the other direction with two multi-colored exceeds in tow. Leaving Gray alone to speak with his long lost friend privately, they set on the path bound for the village on the other side of the island.

It was time that they finally started getting some answers.

* * *

\- Several Moments Later : At the Village -

When the group of Faries finally arrived at their desired location, Natsu looked around in confusion as he realized everything was as it should be. Rather than the desolate, gaping crater that should have been there after the giant rat Angelica dropped a bucket of poison jelly everywhere, the village stood in its place in all of its glory. Houses were completely rebuilt without a single trace of conflict to be seen, and the demonized villagers pranced around happily as all of their precious belongings were restored.

The Fire Dragon Slayer grabbed onto whoever was close; his bewilderment evident by the expression tugging at the corners of his face. "But... This place was completely empty the last time we were here! Who rebuilt everything?"

The scale-covered man shrugged his shoulders, not entirely sure who did it himself. "You mean you guys weren't behind this? We figured Lucy-san's maid spirit fixed everything! Either way, the Village is back to normal, so I'm not going to question it." He laughed.

Right away, Lucy knew Virgo had nothing to do with the sudden reconstruction of the village, and immediately ruled it out as a possibility. (After all, if the pink-haired spirit really had been behind this sudden act of kindness, she surely would have asked for some form of punishment, which hadn't happened since the first time her Master summoned her to dig the pitfall trap.)

"Lucy, are you coming?"

Erza's voice snapped the blonde out of her thoughts, and she quickly jogged to catch back up with the red-haired woman. Ignoring her questioning gaze, Lucy waved it off as she looked around for the Village Chief. Under her breath, she muttered, "It's nothing" and they continued on their way.

They had more important things to be worrying about than who rebuilt everything.

* * *

It wasn't difficult to find the Village Cheif. With his distinguishable dark blue skin, and giant sideburns dragging on the ground on either side of him, the two women found him within minutes of searching. Moka, having spotted the group of wizards just as fast as they spotted him, waddled up to them with a serious expression.

 _"Tell me, have you finalized your plans for destroying the moon? I think my people have been suffering long enough."_

Erza glared as Natsu and Happy snickered in the background about something stupid, effectively shutting them up, before casually returning to her usual collected state. Calmly, she smiled and patted Lucy on the back with a little bit too much force.

"Yes, actually. I was just asking my dear friend what she thought we should do." Titania explained causing the group behind her to choke.

 _"You were?!"_

"Yes," Erza insisted, "We were. However, I'd like to make sure that my friend and I have all of the correct information before we put our plan into action. Is that alright with you?"

Moka's eyes lit up excitedly. "Really? Is it really true? You're going to destroy the moon?"

When the scarlet-haired woman nudged her side, Lucy nodded her head even though she hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. "Yes, sir. Erza has a really neat plan in mind that I think will help solve all of your problems. So long as you answer all of her questions, of course."

"Absolutely!" Moka cried. "We'll tell you whatever you want to know."

* * *

Erza patiently waited for all of the villagers to gather while Lucy awkwardly waited by her side, not exactly sure what role she was supposed to be playing in the mini-interrogation. Titania seemed to know what she was doing, though, so the blonde opted to keep her mouth shut and wait patiently.

Eventually, Lucy would know what was going on. She always had a habit of catching on quick, even when they were kids.

The scarlet-haired woman gently cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention, and a collective hush settled upon the crowd. "So, to be clear, around three years ago the moon took on a mysterious purple glow which was around the same time that everyone here started to take on these demonized forms. In addition, every night for the past three years everyone here has seen an identical purple light from the Temple several miles into the forest. Is this correct?"

A small burst of murmuring broke out in the crowd in response to Titania's question, and the Village Chief had to raise his hand in order to silence them again.

"Yes, you are correct. But to reiterate, for the past three years, everytime the sun goes down we are forced to take on these inhuman forms. No one has gone to investigate the strange light coming from that Temple because the ancient philosophy of our Village prevents us from doing so. I was concerned that if we went against our elder's beliefs, it would enhance these inhuman forms, so I have prevented any of my people from traveling there."

Lucy faltered slightly; the Village Cheif's claims not making much sense. "But you obviously knew that whatever was going on at the Temple had something to do with your conditions, so why didn't you tell us about it when we first arrived here? Is there something that you've been trying to hide?"

Moka gulped and glanced down at his feet guiltily. "You see, we have tried investigating what goes on in that building, yet after so many failed attempts we eventually gave up looking. It doesn't make much sense, but every time we would venture out into the forest and get close enough to see the Temple, we would suddenly find ourselves standing back at the Village Gate's with no explanation of how we got there." He confessed. "I was worried we wouldn't sound credible due to a lack of evidence, so I told my people not to bring it up when you all arrived."

"I see. I think I'm starting to finally understand what the cause of your problem is, " Erza suddenly exclaimed causing everyone to look in her direction. "Natsu, Lucy, please come with me. I'll be needing your help with this."

Slightly annoyed at being left in the dark for so long, Lucy sighed tiredly as she ran a hand through her messy hair. "This better be the last thing we have to deal with, Erza. I'm tired of acting like I know what you're saying."

Titania smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I'm one-hundred percent sure it will be."

* * *

Equipped with her _Giant Armor_ , Erza glanced at the two Dragon Slayers behind her to make sure they knew what they were doing. High up on one of the watch towers in the center of the Village, Lucy leaned casually against one of the walls as she looked down at all of the people on the ground. Even from way up there, several feet into the air, she could hear the villagers excited screams.

"Right. Are you both ready to finish this?" Erza questioned.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. All we have to do is hit the back of your spear, right? It's not exactly rocket science."

Natsu agreed. "We got this Erza! Let's hurry up and do this thing."

"Alright. Since the two of you are ready, here we go!"

Erza shifted her feet. She drew her right leg backward to keep her balance as she winded the giant spear backward. Feeling the magic from her _Giant Armor_ start to take its effect and seep into her bones, she threw her arm forward with all of her might.

Natsu and Lucy both simultaneously gathered their magic into their arms, causing their fists to light up with their respected elements. Together, they hit the butt of the spear with a _"Celestial Fire Dragon Iron Fist"_ unison raid and launched the weapon out of Titania's hands.

The combination of the two attacks, plus the added strength from Erza's armor, was enough to send the spear spiraling into the sky. And then, something incredible happened.

Rather than hitting the moon like Moka and all of the villagers thought was going to happen, the spear hit an invisible barrier causing a shockwave of cracks to litter across the star-filled sky. A gaping hole opened up, shattering the faux-image of a purple moon, revealing the normal one sitting directly behind it, as glittering purple specks rained down from the sky.

Curiously, Lucy stuck her hand out to catch a few of the shimmering spots descending from high above her. Her eyes widened when a distinct magic that she recognized as the product of the Moon Drip ceremony sunk into her skin, and she turned to look at Titania Erza; completely amazed.

"You mean that what we were seeing was nothing more than a film of magic that built over the island for the past three years?" She asked excitedly.

Erza laughed. "Sharp as ever, I see. You are correct; a thin layer of the Moon Drips magic, in the form of a gas, made a make-shift barrier over the island. Eventually, it hardened and took the shape of a shell, which is what made the moon appear to be purple."

Her face flushed a happy shade of pink, Lucy breathlessly responded: "That's amazing!"

Natsu snickered into his scarf, thinking to himself how pretty his new blonde friend looked with such a carefree smile on her face. Not one to admit such a thing out loud, though, the Salamander threw his arm around Lucy's shoulders and drew her in close.

"Only a weirdo like you would get excited about stuff like this!"

"S-shut up you idiot! At least I knew what was going on! You were just standing there!"

* * *

In the end, the villagers were so grateful for the help that they threw the group of Fairy Tail wizards a large feast before they had to depart from the island and head back home. After destroying the layer of magic surrounding Galuna Island, Erza explained what had been happening for the past three years.

As clearly as she could, the scarlet-haired woman revealed that the villagers had never been human, to begin with, but demons with the ability to take on human forms. The thin layer of magic that had gathered from the Moon Drip for three years slowly caused their memories to deteriorate, which led them to believe that they were humans being forced to take on demonized forms, when in fact, they were demons with the ability to take on human forms

Bobo, who was believed to be dead, also revealed himself and had some interesting information of his own. Having been the only one out of all of his people not to retain any memory loss, the man set out into the world to look for help and eventually came across the Fairy Tail wizards. Right away he knew that they would be the ones to free his people of the 'moons curse', resulting in him finally being able to return home.

Lucy was glad everyone was able to come to terms with what happened, including Sherry and Yuka, who had shown up in the middle of the celebration to apologize for all of the things they'd done. Knowing exactly what the effects of harboring hatred can do, the Stellar Spirit Mage was more relieved than she would let on when the two wizards explained that they had finally given up on getting their revenge against the great demon, Deliora. Apparently, they too were victims of the monsters destruction, which is why they joined forces with Lyon in the first place.

Of course, Natsu being the person he was, he immediately invited Sherry and her friend to join in on the celebration, and everyone partied late into the night.

Surprisingly, Sherry approached Lucy with a somewhat forced smile as she offered her, her hand. Lucy glanced at the offering with an unimpressed expression, and crossed her arms over her chest; refusing to reciprocate the gesture.

"I g-guess you're not as ugly as I made you out to be." The Marionette Magic wizard stuttered, still holding out her hand.

With a smirk, Lucy finally reached down and grabbed hold of it. "Yeah, you're not too bad yourself. I wouldn't wear any of those clothes, but I guess they suit somebody like you."

* * *

\- The Following Morning -

Too busy groaning about the reward money they couldn't accept (or cheering in Lucy's case upon gaining another Zodiac Key; the Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius), Fairy Tail was completely unaware of the storm brewing directly under their nose as they sailed back toward Magnolia.

Two very different enemies were brewing up their own evil plans in the back, but both standing with similar intentions: to destroy Fairy Tail and everything it stood for, or rather, certain individuals inside of it.

Lyon, Toby, Yuka, Sherry, and the villagers all watched as the group of skilled wizards (and exceeds) sailed away in the boat Erza arrived in. The Cold Emperor thought back on what his 'brother' had to say and cracked a small smile as he imagined what it was like to join a guild.

Not wanting to be beaten so easily, he turned to Sherry to ask for her advice.

"Tell me. How was it when you were like one of them?"

* * *

 **A/N: And the Galuna Island Arc finally comes to an end. I apologize if this chapter wasn't very entertaining, I just felt the need to finally finish this portion of the story so we can all get into bigger and better things. I promise that I'll do my best to make the next upcoming chapters more enjoyable, as I understand that this one had a lot of dialogue with little happening in-between.**

 **Thanks so much for all of the support all of you have left this story. I appreciate it so much!**

 **-xxTheNightmareBeforexx**

Also, this doesn't really have anything to do with this story, but I want to keep you guys updated with everything that's happening. As you guys probably already know, I'm in my high school's Marching Band, and my season has actually ended early this year because we're going to the Macy's Day Parade for this upcoming Thanksgiving. I'm gonna try to update as much as I can before I leave for New York, but I just want you guys to know that I won't be able to update for about a week when I leave.


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